Nick Barta's Colorado Mortgage Blog: Your Home Buying Guide

Colorado is not the easiest state to buy your first home in. Median home prices in the Denver metro hover above $550,000. Colorado Springs is above $400,000. Even the smaller markets have moved up significantly over the last five years. And yet, there are buyers closing on Colorado homes every week with a few thousand dollars or less out of pocket. The difference between those buyers and the ones still renting isn't income. It's usually the programs they knew about. This guid

The most common question I get from first-time buyers in Colorado isn't about interest rates. It's this: "I keep hearing about CHFA, FHA, and USDA — are these different loans or the same thing? Which one do I need?" They're not the same thing, and the right answer depends on where you're buying, what you earn, and how much you've saved. After 30 years of sitting across the table from buyers in Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo, and everywhere in between, here's how I actually

Most Colorado buyers have heard of VA loans and FHA loans. USDA loans? They hear "rural" and immediately assume the program isn't for them. That assumption is costing a lot of people a real shot at homeownership — because some of the most popular places to buy near Colorado Springs and Pueblo qualify for USDA financing, and the down payment is exactly $0. Here's what I've seen after more than 30 years working with Colorado homebuyers: USDA loans are the best-kept secret in th