First-time home buyer programs in Colorado and Denver

What this page covers, and what it does not

Colorado’s state housing finance agency is the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). The state’s Housing Toolkit says local programs should complement “CHFA’s existing homebuyer loan and down payment assistance program.” We could not read CHFA’s own pages: its website refused our automated requests on October 13, 2026. This page therefore gives no CHFA amount, income limit or price limit. Check them on CHFA’s website or ask a participating lender; CHFA limits depend on county and household size.

Everything below comes from the City and County of Denver, the program’s own website and the state’s Housing Toolkit.

metroDPA: down payment help across the Front Range

According to Denver’s metroDPA page:

• Who qualifies. People who make up to $216,000 a year and have a credit score above 640 (sometimes 620). The home must be in one of the listed Front Range cities and counties; you do not have to buy in Denver.
• The loan. A 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage from a metroDPA-approved lender. It can be an FHA, VA or USDA loan, or a conventional loan.
• The assistance. A percentage of the first mortgage, recorded as a 30-year deferred second mortgage with no interest and no scheduled payments. The percentage depends on the loan product. The city’s example: on a $300,000 FHA loan with 5% assistance, the buyer receives $15,000.
• When you repay. When the first mortgage is paid off by sale or refinance, when you stop living in the home as your principal residence, or after 30 years.
• What it can pay for. The down payment, customary closing costs, prepaid items or principal reduction. It cannot cover the gap between the price and the appraised value, a borrower’s debts, any part of a real estate agent’s compensation, or cash back.

The program’s own website adds that credit and income limits apply, that homebuyer education is required, and that there is no first-time buyer requirement. Its income limits vary by county and loan type, so use the program’s tables rather than the headline figure. For homes in Denver County, the city tells buyers to ask their lender about the Denver Advantage program.

Denver’s Affordable Homeownership Program

This program sells income-restricted homes that were built or kept affordable with city funding or under the city’s mandatory housing ordinance. A recorded covenant sets the years the home stays affordable and caps the resale price.

The city applies its HUD HOME income limits. For 2026 (effective June 1, 2026), the table for a four-person household reads:

Source: Denver Department of Housing Stability, 2026 HOME Income Limits. One-person limits are $50,400 at 50% and $74,800 at 80%.

You can pre-qualify your income before you find a home; the pre-qualification is valid for six months from the determination letter. After you have an accepted contract, you complete the purchase verification. The city says completed applications get a determination by email within 10 business days, and that denied or cancelled applications must wait 90 days before reapplying. Questions go to affordablehousing@denvergov.org or 720-913-1634.

Colorado Housing Assistance Corporation (CHAC)

The City of Denver lists CHAC, a nonprofit, as a source of “low interest, flexible loans” for low- to moderate-income first-time buyers, covering part of the down payment and closing costs anywhere in Colorado. The loan is a second mortgage, repayment is usually monthly, and borrowers must contribute at least $1,000 of their own money that cannot be a gift (the minimum is $750 for the disability program). CHAC’s site says its 2026 income limits vary with the property’s location and the first mortgage product, and that it offers a free class twice a month in Denver.

Other local programs

The state’s Housing Toolkit lists programs outside Denver, including down payment help from Boulder County, Aurora and Pueblo County. Terms differ and change; the Toolkit’s metroDPA income figure ($176,700) is older than the city’s $216,000, so rely on the program pages for current numbers.

How to apply

1. Take a HUD-certified homebuyer education class; metroDPA and Denver’s affordable homeownership program require one.
2. Ask a lender approved for the program you want. metroDPA, for example, requires an approved lender.
3. Compare the second mortgage with a plain low-rate loan: assistance is a loan against your home even when it carries no interest. Read the repayment terms before signing.

Closing costs and price still apply: see closing costs in Colorado, Colorado home prices, and our page on buying a home in Denver. For loan types, see our guides to FHA loans and VA loans.