Denver buyer guide
A clear, step-by-step guide from financing and home tours to inspection, title, closing, and the keys.
The key idea
This is a common Denver-metro sequence, but your signed contract controls the actual rights, duties, and deadlines. A real-estate broker coordinates the transaction; lending, tax, insurance, title, inspection, and legal questions belong with the appropriate professionals.
Start with the monthly payment you can comfortably carry—not only the maximum purchase price. Include principal and interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance when applicable, HOA dues, metro-district taxes or fees, utilities, maintenance, and cash reserves.
A lender reviews income, assets, debts, credit, and loan options before issuing a preapproval. Compare rate, APR, lender fees, mortgage insurance, credits, and estimated cash to close. A preapproval is useful for an offer, but it is not final loan approval.
Before touring, discuss the buyer-agent relationship, compensation, communication, and the services you expect. Rank location, commute, schools, home type, condition, future flexibility, and budget so every showing produces useful information.
Look beyond finishes. In Colorado, buyers may need to consider roof and hail history, radon, drainage and expansive soils, sewer condition, HVAC age, insurance availability, HOA documents, special districts, solar agreements, and property-specific maintenance.
Price is only one term. The contract also sets earnest money, financing, appraisal, inspection, title, HOA, insurance, closing, possession, inclusions, concessions, and deadlines. Your strategy should reflect the property, comparable sales, competition, and your risk tolerance.
After acceptance, follow the contract instructions for delivering earnest money—often to the title company in Colorado. Missing a deadline can affect contractual rights, so keep inspection, loan, title, insurance, HOA, appraisal, and closing dates visible from day one.
A general inspection is a limited review of the home’s condition. Depending on the property, buyers may also consider sewer scope, radon measurement, roof, structural, mold, HVAC, well, septic, survey, or other specialist evaluations. Any objection, resolution, concession, or termination must follow the contract.
Review the title commitment and exceptions, HOA or common-interest-community documents when applicable, insurability, and lender conditions. The appraisal supports the lender’s collateral decision; it is different from a home inspection and does not guarantee condition.
Confirm final funds only through verified wiring instructions, review the Closing Disclosure for most financed purchases, arrange utilities, and complete the final walk-through. The final walk-through checks the agreed condition and completed items; it is not a new inspection period.
At closing, the parties sign the required real-estate and loan documents. The title company verifies funds and recording. Keys and possession follow the contract—not automatically the moment documents are signed—especially when a post-closing occupancy agreement exists.
Colorado-specific watch list
Start here
Information checked July 2026. This guide is general education and not lending, tax, insurance, inspection, or legal advice.