First Time Home Buyer Programs and Home Buyer Assistance Programs in Colorado

The state of Colorado, Boulder County, and many communities have programs to help first-time home buyers.
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First Time Home Buyer Programs and Home Buyer Assistance Programs in Colorado

Agents for Home Buyers focuses on helping home buyers and we help connect our clients with a wide range of home buyer assistance programs offered through the state of Colorado, the City of Boulder, and Boulder County. These assistance programs are more helpful and available to more people than you might expect. Most of the first time home buyer programs are designed to help lower income home buyers, or home buyers with very limited cash, to buy a home with downpayment and other assistance. Some programs are available nationwide or statewide, others are restricted to home purchases within a particular city or county. If you don’t find the information you need here, give a call to your local housing department or check out their website.

Please note that a good mortgage lender will be able to guide you through the first time home buyer assistance programs, including which ones you may qualify for. But be aware that not all mortgage lenders are approved to provide access to home buyer programs. For example, home loan websites like Rocket Mortgage are generally not going to be able to help buyers navigate home buyer assistance programs, particularly city, county, or state programs. Local lenders will know the nuances of these programs and how their incentives affect your ability to qualify plus any potential consequences for resale down the road. Guild Mortgage is a mortgage lender that offers access to over 700 first time buyer assistance programs.

Don’t Assume You Aren’t Eligible

Don’t assume that you’re not eligible for home buyer assistance programs. Find out with help from a good mortgage lender.

Many programs indicate that they are set up for first time home buyers, but a “first time” home buyer for most of these programs is anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years. And while most are designed to assist lower income buyers, this generally means that the buyer has an income which is less than 80% of the local median income. In a market like Boulder, you can make a lot of money and still qualify for these programs. Some programs have no income restrictions. There are also some helpful zero money down and 1% down payment programs available that mortgage brokers can help you explore.

Home Buyer programs are available to a surprisingly wide range of buyers and situations. Don’t assume you’re not eligible.

Sources of Home Buyer Assistance Programs

There are first time home buyer and general home buyer assistance programs available from several sources:

  • State of Colorado and related housing agencies
  • City Programs
  • County Programs
  • Federal Programs

In order to maintain a diverse population and to assist lower income buyers, many of the communities in the Boulder County real estate market area offer programs designed to make it possible for lower income buyers to purchase homes. 

Often, as a condition for issuing builder permits to developers, builders must sell a certain percentage of the homes they build to lower income buyers at below market prices. 

Many times, the property purchased will have a deed restriction which requires that when the property is sold, it is sold to another qualified lower income buyer. The deed restriction may also limit the amount that the property can sell for. These programs are complex and their terms and requirements are constantly in flux. They generally require that you attend classes on home ownership and financial management. 

The state of Colorado, Boulder County, and many communities have programs to help first-time home buyers.

You can obtain more extensive and more current information on these programs at:

The state of Colorado also has several programs to help home buyers: 

Both the city of Boulder and Boulder County offer down payment assistance programs:

  • City of Boulder
  • Boulder County (Outside the City of Boulder)

Next Steps in Buying a First-Time Home

Contact Agents for Home Buyers! Lindsey and Danielle can help you navigate the home buying process to find a great home you will love. It’s what we have been doing as buyers agents for 25 years in Boulder County, Jefferson County, Broomfield, Larimer County, and nearby.

Step 1: Educate Yourself About the Home Buying Process
Step 2: Form Your Team of Real Estate Professionals: Mortgage Lender and Buyer Agent
Step 3: Set Realistic Goals for Your Home Search
Step 4: Beware the MLS and Online Real Estate Databases
Step 5: Begin a Focused Home Search
Step 6: “The Sprint” of House Tours
Step 7: Craft Your Home Purchase Offer
Step 8: Negotiate the Contract
Step 9: Colorado Real Estate Documents and Forms
Step 10: Home Loans and Financing
Resources: Home Buyer Assistance Programs