Updated · Mike Certo, NMLS #260555
Colorado Mortgage Programs
Cornerstone First Mortgage originates Colorado mortgages through Mike Certo and his team of seasoned Colorado-licensed loan officers. Below is the full menu of programs we run for buyers from Denver and Boulder to Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and the mountain towns. Each one is explained briefly with the key facts. For CHFA income limits, county purchase-price caps, FICO requirements, or to talk through your Front Range scenario, request more information below or call (480) 296-6513.
Colorado Down Payment Assistance
Cornerstone is approved for both CHFA state-level DPA and the major national DPA options. We run the full menu: Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) statewide programs, Metro Denver DPA and Denver Advantage for the metro, El Paso County Turnkey around Colorado Springs, plus national programs that work statewide (Chenoa Fund, Arrive Home, Essex/NHF).
Colorado state DPA programs
- CHFA SmartStep: First-time buyer first mortgage with DPA option.
- CHFA Preferred: Colorado statewide conventional first mortgage with DPA pairing.
- CHFA Down Payment Assistance Grant: True grant up to the lesser of $25,000 or 3% of the first mortgage, no repayment required.
- Metro DPA: Denver metro area down payment assistance for income-eligible buyers.
- Denver Advantage: City of Denver down payment program for Denver buyers.
National DPA programs (also available for Colorado buyers)
- Chenoa Fund: FHA-paired DPA with both repayable and forgivable structures, common for Aurora and Pueblo buyers depending on income and credit profile.
- Arrive Home: national DPA for low-to-moderate income buyers, with an ITIN borrower path used across Denver and Greeley immigrant communities.
- Essex Mortgage / NHF: multi-tier DPA pairing for FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional buyers in El Paso, Weld, and Larimer counties.
One DPA program per transaction. Specific eligibility (CHFA income limits, county purchase-price caps, FICO thresholds, occupancy, first-time status) varies across Colorado. Request more information for your specific scenario.
Buy Before You Sell (BBYS)
Bridge financing for the move-up buyer who needs to buy their next Denver-metro or Boulder home before their current one sells. It removes the contingency from the offer, and Front Range listing agents call this the deal-saver. Cornerstone's BBYS program lets the buyer write a clean offer in a Fort Collins or Castle Rock bidding war; we underwrite the bridge based on equity in the existing home plus the new purchase.
- Common scenario: Contract Contingent on Buyer Sale (CCBS) deals, frequent in tight Arapahoe and Douglas County markets where the seller won't take a contingent offer; BBYS removes the contingency.
- Process: We underwrite the bridge alongside the new purchase mortgage and close concurrently or near-concurrently, coordinating with your Colorado title company.
- Audience: Consumer move-up buyers across the Front Range plus listing agents who want their CCBS deal to actually close.
Self-Employed Loans
Tax returns underrepresent self-employed income because of legal deductions, and standard underwriting punishes that. Colorado has a deep self-employed base: Denver tech contractors, Aspen and Vail hospitality owners, Fort Collins tradespeople, Boulder consultants. We run the alternative paths for them: bank-statement loans (12 or 24 months), 1099 loans, and asset-qualifier loans that qualify on liquid assets without showing income.
- Bank statement loans: Qualify on 12 or 24 months of business bank deposits with expense-factor adjustments, a common fit for Denver-metro small-business owners, not deposit gross.
- 1099 loans: For Colorado contractors, gig workers, and real estate agents who earn on 1099s; qualify on documented 1099 income.
- Asset-qualifier loans: Qualify on liquid assets (cash, brokerage, retirement) divided over an asset-utilization period, useful for retired Front Range buyers.
Jumbo & Medical Professionals
Loan amounts above your county's conforming limit, which runs from the $832,750 baseline up to $1,249,125 in Eagle County and $1,209,750 in Pitkin and Garfield. Full doc, alt doc, super jumbo above $2M, plus the standout Medical Professionals program with up to 100% LTV and no PMI for physicians and dentists. Colorado has active jumbo markets in Denver, Boulder, Cherry Creek, Vail, and Aspen, and Medical Professionals is a frequent path for doctors at UCHealth, Children's Hospital Colorado, and Denver Health.
- Medical Professionals eligible in Colorado: MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DPM, DVM, PharmD, Ophthalmology MD/DO, Psychiatry MD/DO, CRNA with DNAP/DNP.
- For a Boulder or Cherry Creek purchase, up to 100% LTV at $1.5M with FICO 680; 100% at $2M with FICO 720; 95% at $2M with FICO 680.
- Student loan exclusion: Deferred and IBR student loans excluded from DTI for Colorado residents and fellows on resident/fellow income.
Investor & DSCR Loans
For real estate investors buying Colorado Springs, Pueblo, or Summit County rental property. DSCR loans qualify on the rental income of the property, not your personal income. We finance below a 1.0 DSCR ratio, and those sub-1.0 programs are part of our investor menu. Short-term-rental products are available for Colorado mountain-town Airbnb and VRBO markets like Breckenridge and Estes Park.
- DSCR loans: Qualify on the Colorado rental's income versus its debt service, not personal income.
- Below 1.0 DSCR: We finance sub-1.0 scenarios on Pueblo and Aurora rentals; request more information for your specific deal.
- Short-term rental specific: Airbnb and VRBO-targeted DSCR products with experienced underwriting for STR income in Summit and Eagle counties.
First-Time Home Buyer Loans
FHA, USDA, conventional with low down payment, and CHFA DPA-paired structures. Designed for the Aurora, Greeley, or Pueblo buyer with real-life income and credit, not a perfect-paper applicant. The full walkthrough, including 2026 loan limits by county from $832,750 up to $1,249,125 in Eagle, lives in our Colorado first-time buyer loan options guide.
- FHA: 3.5% down, 580+ FICO published (620+ practical overlay), the workhorse loan for El Paso County first-timers.
- USDA: Zero down in USDA-eligible Colorado areas like Weld, Elbert, and outlying Larimer County towns.
- Conventional 97: 3% down, 620+ FICO, pairs cleanly with a CHFA grant in the Denver metro.
Not sure which program fits
Call (480) 296-6513 for a free consult, or send your scenario through the form below. Mike and his team review every Colorado scenario, from a Denver CHFA purchase to a Summit County DSCR deal, and respond shortly. No commitment, no salesy follow-up, just an honest read on what's possible.