Buying a home involves more than finding a property and choosing an interest rate. The Milestone Homebuyers Guide gives Colorado buyers a practical framework for preparing financially, understanding mortgage options, making a stronger offer, and moving from preapproval through closing with fewer surprises.
Use this free guide whether you are buying your first home, returning to homeownership, relocating, or planning a move before selling your current property. It is educational, easy to revisit, and designed to support the conversations you will have with your mortgage and real estate professionals.
Free PDF guide
Open the guide in your browser or save the PDF so you can refer to it while preparing, shopping, writing an offer, and completing the mortgage process.
Step 1
Think through your comfortable payment, cash contribution, reserves, credit, documentation, and the expenses that continue after closing.
Step 2
Understand what a preapproval does, which information should be reviewed, and why a maximum approval is different from a comfortable housing budget.
Step 3
Evaluate down payment, mortgage insurance, rate, points, credits, loan limits, qualification, property rules, and expected ownership period.
Step 4
Keep the payment, cash to close, property taxes, insurance, association dues, condition, and reserves aligned with the homes you consider.
Step 5
Coordinate financing, appraisal risk, seller credits, timing, inspection rights, and the property-specific payment before committing.
Step 6
Prepare for appraisal, underwriting, updated documentation, the Closing Disclosure, final funds, wire-fraud precautions, and signing.
For an independent second reference while you work through the Milestone Homebuyers Guide, the CFPB Home Loan Toolkit provides consumer worksheets and explanations for mortgage choices, closing costs, and the homebuying process.
The book explains the framework. A mortgage consultation applies that framework to your income, credit, debts, assets, property, payment target, and purchase timeline.
The guide opens as a full PDF in a separate browser tab so it can be read comfortably on desktop or mobile and saved for later reference.
Use the button below to read the complete guide full screen.
The original PDF layout and all pages will be preserved.
Use the detailed website guide for current links, calculators, loan-program explanations, and process reminders.
Compare down payment, credit flexibility, mortgage insurance, appraisal requirements, costs, and tradeoffs.
Review the 3% down option, 80% AMI limit, official income lookup tool, flexible funds, and reduced mortgage-insurance features.
Check the address-based income limit and learn about flexible funding, eligible properties, and mortgage insurance.
Understand grants, deferred seconds, repayable assistance, income limits, education, and first-mortgage tradeoffs.
Build an early payment estimate, then replace assumptions with property-specific taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, and dues.
Complete the form below to request the guide through the existing Milestone resource form.
For Colorado real estate professionals
Agents can share this book directly and access Michael’s Homebot connection, ARIVE partner registration, buyer-ready mortgage guides, and transaction-support resources.
Michael Shotnik is the Broker and Owner of Milestone Home Mortgage. He helps Colorado homebuyers evaluate the complete financing decision, including payment, cash to close, mortgage insurance, loan-program tradeoffs, seller credits, reserves, property considerations, and the expected ownership timeline.
The goal is not simply to issue a preapproval letter. It is to build a clear purchase plan that can be updated as the buyer considers real properties and contract terms.
Read the guide, gather your questions, and use a consultation or secure application to apply the information to your purchase.
Michael Shotnik
Broker | Owner, Milestone Home Mortgage
NMLS 218281
303-800-4595
The Milestone Homebuyers Guide and this page are for general educational purposes and are not a mortgage approval, rate quote, commitment to lend, financial advice, tax advice, or legal advice. Mortgage programs, rates, costs, insurance, loan limits, assistance, property requirements, and underwriting guidelines can change. All financing is subject to borrower, credit, income, asset, property, lender, agency, insurer, and investor approval.
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.
