CHFA's $25,000 Is Real. It's Also Only One of Four Denver Down Payment Programs.
If you are saving for a down payment in Denver right now, you are probably doing the math wrong. Not because your math is bad. Because you are counting one program when there are four.
Everyone has heard of CHFA. Almost nobody has heard of the other three. That gap costs buyers real money. On a $600,000 Denver home, the difference between knowing one program and knowing all four can be $25,000 or more in assistance you never have to repay.
Here is the full map, with 2026 numbers, verified against each program's own published rules.
The four programs, side by side
| Program | What you get | Repayment | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHFA grant | Up to $25,000 or 3% of your first mortgage, whichever is less | None. It is a true grant. | 620+ credit score. Income limits apply by county (Denver metro: $132,000 for 1-2 person households, $152,000 for 3+). Higher mortgage rate applies when you take the grant. |
| CHFA second mortgage | Up to $25,000 or 4% of your first mortgage, whichever is less | Deferred at 0% interest. Repaid when you sell, refinance, or pay off the first mortgage. | 620+ credit score. Same income limits. Cannot be combined with the CHFA grant on the same purchase. |
| metroDPA | Up to 5% of your first mortgage | 30-year deferred second mortgage, 0% interest, no monthly payments. Repaid on sale or refinance. | 640+ credit score. Income up to $216,000. Sponsored by the City and County of Denver but available across the Front Range. This is a loan, not a grant. |
| Prop 123 programs | Varies. Aurora's program covers up to 10% of purchase price. | Varies by city program. | SB26-040, effective July 1, 2026, expanded eligibility to 120% of area median income. Aurora's program runs through October 31, 2026 or until funds run out. |
What $600,000 looks like with each program
Take a $600,000 Denver home with an FHA loan at 3.5% down. You need $21,000 at closing for the down payment alone.
- CHFA grant: covers up to about $17,370 of that $21,000. You never repay it. The tradeoff is a slightly higher interest rate on your first mortgage, typically 0.50 to 1.00 point above market.
- CHFA second mortgage: covers up to about $23,160 at 0% interest with no monthly payment. Better deal if you plan to stay put for 7 to 10 years or longer, because the grant's higher rate costs more over time than the deferred loan.
- metroDPA: covers up to about $29,000 as a 30-year deferred second at 0%. No monthly payment. You repay it when you sell or refinance.
That is the real decision most Denver buyers face: not whether help exists, but which structure costs less over the time you will actually own the home.
The part nobody tells you: Denver's housing department runs its own pipeline
Here is the program most buyers never hear about, because it does not advertise to buyers at all.
Denver's Department of Housing Stability, called HOST, funds down payment assistance through HUD-certified nonprofit counseling agencies. Its stated goal is to lift the homeownership rate among Denver's low and moderate-income households from 36% to 41%. Programs administered through HOST serve households earning up to 120% of area median income.
You do not apply to HOST directly. You reach these programs through a participating nonprofit counselor or a lender who works with them. Ask your lender specifically: "Do you work with HOST-administered down payment programs?" If they look confused, that tells you something about the lender.
Can you combine programs?
Sometimes. You cannot take the CHFA grant and the CHFA second mortgage on the same purchase. That is a hard rule.
Beyond that, stacking depends on the specific programs and your lender. Some buyers layer a CHFA first mortgage with a local grant. Others pair metroDPA with seller concessions. The only honest answer is that combinations are case by case, and the person who determines what stacks is your lender, not a blog post.
Which is exactly why the lender question matters more than the program list. A lender who only knows CHFA will only offer you CHFA.
How to actually start
Three steps, in order:
1. Take the homebuyer education course first. Every program on this list requires a CHFA-approved or HUD-approved class before closing. Do it early. It takes a few hours online and it removes one closing delay.
2. Get pre-approved through a participating lender. CHFA loans only come through CHFA-approved lenders. metroDPA only comes through trained loan officers. Ask upfront which programs a lender actually closes, not which ones they have heard of.
3. Run all four programs against your numbers. I do this for every buyer in minutes: income, credit score, target price, planned timeline in the home. The output is which programs you qualify for and which structure costs the least over your actual ownership period. Most lenders check one program. The money is in checking all four.
Buying in Denver in 2026?
Find out which down payment programs you qualify for before you start house hunting. Talk to Robert. Answer 4 questions. He calls you back.
Program details verified October 17, 2026 against chfainfo.com program pages, denvergov.org (HOST and metroDPA), and Colorado SB26-040 as signed. Income limits, rates, and program terms change. Confirm current figures with a participating lender before relying on them. This article is educational, not financial advice.