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Colorado program

CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus

Colorado route through Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). This page stays free for the core public facts. Open paid access only when you need the full state board, related paths, and the decision layer around this program.

Low-rate FHA first mortgage with optional 0% silent second Deferred due on exit 2026-04-23
Agency Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA)
Support type Low-rate FHA first mortgage with optional 0% silent second
Amount highlight Current CHFA materials describe FirstStep as CHFA's lowest-rate FHA purchase family, with an optional CHFA second mortgage worth up to the lesser of $25,000 or 4% of the first mortgage loan.
Last verified 2026-04-23

Use carefully

Keep FirstGeneration separate from FirstStep

This page stays public because the official structure is still useful, but these details should not be flattened into fake certainty.

FirstStep is live and detail-safe, but public copy should not mix in FirstGeneration rules. The shared lender page covers both families, while the FirstStep Plus matrix defines the live FirstStep second-mortgage structure.

Decision-ready public facts

What stays free on this program page

Quick answer from published facts. Use this first, then jump to Go to Colorado program hub if you need the wider state context.

Amount

Current CHFA materials describe FirstStep as CHFA's lowest-rate FHA purchase family, with an optional CHFA second mortgage worth up to the lesser of $25,000 or 4% of the first mortgage loan.

Type

Low-rate FHA first mortgage with optional 0% silent second

Repayment

Standard first-mortgage repayment applies to the base FirstStep FHA loan. If FirstStep Plus is added, the optional second mortgage is a 0% silent second with no monthly payments and no accrued interest, due in full upon sale, refinance, or when the property is no longer the borrower's primary residence.

First-time buyer

Varies

Program guide

What to know before you click through

This is still the free fact layer. Open the official source when a detail affects eligibility, repayment, lender choice, or whether this path should stay on your shortlist.

Who qualifies?

Colorado first-time homebuyers using a CHFA participating lender, Qualified veterans using the published first-time-buyer exception, Non-first-time buyers purchasing in CHFA targeted areas, Borrowers completing CHFA-approved homebuyer education before closing

What support do you get?

Current CHFA materials describe FirstStep as CHFA's lowest-rate FHA purchase family, with an optional CHFA second mortgage worth up to the lesser of $25,000 or 4% of the first mortgage loan.

Do you repay it?

Standard first-mortgage repayment applies to the base FirstStep FHA loan. If FirstStep Plus is added, the optional second mortgage is a 0% silent second with no monthly payments and no accrued interest, due in full upon sale, refinance, or when the property is no longer the borrower's primary residence.

How do you apply?

Work with a CHFA participating lender, complete CHFA-approved homebuyer education before closing, document tax-exempt-program eligibility and income limits, pass CHFA compliance review before closing, and add the optional CHFA Plus second mortgage only if needed for down payment, closing costs, or permitted buydown uses.

Application timing

CHFA publishes a 60-day delivery period with up to six 10-day extensions and requires program compliance review before closing.

Official source evidence

Current CHFA materials show FirstStep and FirstStep Plus remain the statewide tax-exempt FHA purchase family for first-time buyers, qualified veterans, and targeted-area exceptions, with 30-year fixed FHA first mortgages, CHFA education, county-based limits, and an optional 0% silent second mortgage up to $25,000 or 4% of the first mortgage.

View official source

Last verified

2026-04-23

FirstStep matrix effective 2026-01-05; supporting CHFA pages verified 2026-04-23

Paid preview

What paid access adds for CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus

See the shape of the comparison output, risk checks, lender questions, and next-step checklist before you decide whether this program is worth carrying into the paid layer.

Example paid output for this program. The free page stays visible either way.

Comparison preview

CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus

Amount: Current CHFA materials describe FirstStep as CHFA's lowest-rate FHA purchase family, with an optional CHFA second mortgage worth up to the lesser of $25,000 or 4% of the first mortgage loan.

Repayment: Standard first-mortgage repayment applies to the base FirstStep FHA loan. If FirstStep Plus is added, the optional second mortgage is a 0% silent second with no monthly payments and no accrued interest, due in full upon sale, refinance, or when the property is no longer the borrower's primary residence.

First-time buyer: Varies

Risk checks preview

What gets flagged before you call a lender

  • CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus requires a participating lender.
  • CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus must be paired with a specific first mortgage.

Lender questions preview

Questions tied to this exact path

  • Is your team approved to originate CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus for this household and loan setup?
  • Which first-mortgage product must be paired with CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus, and what breaks eligibility?

Action checklist preview

What you would do next

  • Review the official FirstStep and FirstStep Plus matrix for CHFA FirstStep and FirstStep Plus
  • Ask whether your lender is approved for this exact program and loan structure.
Open the full Colorado board

Paid research preview

What paid research already covers in Colorado

Paid research already tracks city and county programs, employer-assisted paths, public employee or pension paths, specialty and conditional paths for Colorado.

6 tracked deeper records

These are not generic promises. They are the local, employer, public-employee, and specialty directions already sitting behind the paid layer.

What unlocks after payment

Specific program names, source notes, current-vs-conditional judgments, and the next lender or agency questions tied to this state.

1 tracked

city and county programs

City and county down payment or closing-cost programs that never make it into the free statewide layer.

1 tracked

employer-assisted paths

Employer-linked housing incentives and workforce programs that matter only if they fit your job or agency.

1 tracked

public employee or pension paths

Public employee or pension-backed mortgage angles that need slower source review.

3 tracked

specialty and conditional paths

Conditional, paused, or specialty paths worth checking before you assume the state is a dead end.

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Private workspace

What paid access adds after the free facts

This page stays free for public facts. Paid access turns this program into a shortlist item, a related-path decision layer, risk checks, lender-call prep, and a next-step queue.

If the public facts still look relevant, paid access is where you decide whether this path is stronger than your fallback and what to do next.

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Full state board

See what this should be compared against

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Risk and lender prep

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Action queue

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