Work directly with Denver mortgage broker Michael Shotnik to compare mortgage rates and eligible loan options from multiple wholesale lenders. Get clear answers about your payment, cash to close, and next steps, without a high-pressure sales pitch.
Whether you are buying your first home, moving before your current home sells, refinancing, using equity, purchasing an investment property, or qualifying with self-employed income, you deserve more than a generic rate quote. We explain the payment, cash to close, total cost, documentation, and timing before you make a decision.
A mortgage recommendation should begin with what you are trying to accomplish, not with a one-size-fits-all product. Choose the path that is closest to your next move.
Understand buying power, estimated payment, cash needed at closing, and financing options before you write an offer.
Compare bridge financing, equity access, qualifying with both homes, sale contingencies, and coordinated closing strategies.
Evaluate total cost, break-even timing, monthly cash flow, debt consolidation, HELOC, HECM, and refinance choices.
Compare conventional, FHA, VA when eligible, low-down-payment choices, and available assistance programs.
Review conventional tax-return analysis, bank statements, profit-and-loss approaches, assets, and other eligible income methods.
Build a strategy around loan size, reserves, property type, rent, occupancy, documentation, and investor requirements.
An independent Denver mortgage broker can compare eligible programs from multiple wholesale lenders instead of limiting the conversation to one institution's menu. That broader view is especially valuable when the lowest advertised rate is not the option with the best total outcome.
See these strategies in practice in our Denver buy-before-selling story and Denver FHA homebuying story. These individual examples explain the planning behind each purchase; eligibility and results vary.
See the rate, payment, cash to close, lender cost, and tradeoffs together.
Plan around selling, equity, self-employment, investment income, or a nonstandard timeline.
Work with a local team that understands Colorado property values, county loan limits, and transaction practices.
Stay informed from preapproval through underwriting and closing.
Principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and mortgage insurance when applicable.
Down payment, closing costs, reserves, credits, and available equity.
Rate, points, lender credits, break-even period, and expected time in the loan.
Offer strength, sale timing, appraisal, underwriting, and closing deadlines.
Your Denver mortgage broker and loan team stay involved at every stage, so you know what is happening and what comes next.
We learn about the property, income, assets, credit, payment target, available cash, and expected timeline.
We organize realistic loan structures side by side and explain where each option helps, costs more, or creates risk.
We coordinate preapproval, disclosures, appraisal, underwriting, conditions, closing preparation, and final funding.
For 2026, the baseline conforming loan limit for a one-unit property is $832,750 in most U.S. counties. The one-unit limit is $862,500 in Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Elbert, Gilpin, and Park counties. Limits vary by county and number of units.
Review the official FHFA announcement or confirm the limit for a specific Colorado property.
Use these resources to understand the market, prepare for a purchase, and test payment scenarios before speaking with a Denver mortgage broker.
A useful mortgage conversation should leave you with a decision you understand. These five questions connect the financing paths above with the numbers, documents, and timing that matter to your household.
Start with a monthly housing budget and the savings you want to keep after closing. A lender's maximum approval and your comfortable payment are different decisions. Ask your Denver mortgage broker to separate principal and interest from property taxes, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, and any homeowners association dues. Also leave room in your own budget for maintenance, utilities, and changes in income.
Use the mortgage payment calculator for a starting point, then bring a property address or price range to your conversation. An estimate is a planning tool, not a commitment to lend.
Points increase upfront cost in exchange for a lower rate relative to an otherwise comparable offer from the same lender. Lender credits generally reduce upfront cost in exchange for a higher rate. Neither choice is automatically better. Compare the cash required today with the cost over the time you realistically expect to keep the mortgage.
For a simplified illustration, an additional $2,400 upfront cost that reduces the payment by $80 per month takes 30 months to recover through payment savings. That calculation excludes the time value of money, taxes, and differences in principal reduction. It is not a rate quote or a prediction that refinancing will be available. Read the CFPB explanation of points and lender credits before choosing.
| Your situation | A useful comparison |
|---|---|
| Buying with limited upfront cash | Low-down-payment mortgage options, total cash to close, and money retained for emergencies |
| Moving while you still own a home | Buy-before-you-sell strategies, overlapping obligations, and a backup plan if the sale takes longer |
| Refinancing an existing mortgage | Refinance options, closing costs, remaining term, and total interest rather than payment alone |
| Running your own business | Self-employed mortgage documentation, qualifying income, and available reserves |
Bring your goal, approximate purchase price or current mortgage balance, comfortable payment, available down payment, income sources, and expected timing. You do not need a finished purchase contract to ask planning questions. Tell us about another property you own, a recent job change, business ownership, or a planned move so the initial comparison addresses those details.
Discuss the appropriate documents and secure upload process before sending sensitive information. Please do not put Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or tax returns in a general contact message.
Agree on the next step, the information still needed, and the person responsible for each item. Your Denver mortgage broker can explain the difference between an early estimate, document review, preapproval, and final underwriting approval. Approval remains subject to the applicable lender's requirements and the property review; a conversation or online calculation is not a guarantee.
Visit the Colorado mortgage loan process guide to understand the sequence, or read real Colorado homebuying stories to see how different financing decisions have worked in individual transactions. Your own result will depend on your circumstances.
Bring your questions, rough numbers, or a specific property. We will help you identify the next useful step without forcing you into a loan.
Planning to buy a Colorado home in 2027? Organize tax returns, business income, debts, and cash reserves with this year-end checklist for self-employed buyers.
Michael and Melissa are always a pleasure to work with. They are extremely responsive, professional and work hard to get the best loan for us. I would recommend Colorado Mortgage to anyone. Thank you for another great experience!
Milestone Home Mortgage LLC NMLS #2588937. Michael Shotnik NMLS: 218281, CO License: 100017466. Not licensed in Alaska or New York. To check license status of mortgage loan originator, visit D.O.R.A. and NMLS consumer access.
