After the decree

Buying again, on one income

You can buy after a divorce, and many people buy within a year. The questions are what the lender will count, what the old joint mortgage does to your ratios, and what help exists for a single-income buyer in Colorado. Then it is just a home search.

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When

After the decree is entered

Most lenders will not close a purchase during a pending divorce. A signed, court-entered decree is the document.

Income

Support counts with a history

Six months of receipt (three for FHA on court-ordered support) and three years of continuance.

The old loan

Assigned to your ex? It may not count

A mortgage assigned to your ex in the decree can be excluded from your debt ratio with the decree in the file.

Help

You may be a first-time buyer again

No ownership in three years qualifies for CHFA FirstStep; metroDPA has no first-time rule at all.

Every answer on this site, searched like the portal. Nothing is logged to an account and nothing is tracked to you. Everything here is private unless you choose to fill out a form and give us your information.

Why a home search on a divorce site: because the next chapter is a home too. Buying after the divorce, downsizing, or just seeing what one income buys, this is the full Colorado MLS search on our main site, kennarealestate.com. No account, no sign-up to look. Nobody has to know why you are looking.

The short answer

You can apply the day the decree is entered. Lenders will count your wages plus maintenance and child support you have received for six months (three for FHA, court-ordered) and will keep receiving for three years. The joint mortgage on the old house counts against you unless the decree assigns it to your ex, or your ex has paid it for 12 documented months. Colorado has real down-payment help for single-income buyers, and the full MLS search is on kennarealestate.com, where nobody has to know why you are looking.

What lenders need from you

The entered decree or a court-approved separation agreement, not a draft. It is how they verify support and exclude assigned debts.
Proof of support received: bank statements or the state disbursement record for six months (conventional) or three months (FHA, court-ordered). Lump-sum equalization payments are not income.
Continuance: the support must run at least three years past closing. A child who turns 19 in two years, or maintenance that ends in 30 months, cannot be counted for that portion.
The old mortgage: excluded from your ratios if the decree assigns it to your ex (Fannie Mae B3-6-05: “the lender is not required to count this contingent liability”), or if your ex is on the note and 12 months of statements show them paying with no lates.
Credit with no recent lates. One 30-day late on the joint mortgage in the last 12 months is the most common reason a post-divorce purchase fails. Protect it during the case.

Down-payment help in Colorado for one-income buyers

CHFA (statewide)A grant up to the lesser of $25,000 or 3 percent of the first mortgage with no repayment, or a deferred second up to $25,000 or 4 percent. Needs a CHFA first mortgage, a $1,000 borrower contribution, a 620 score (some lenders 580), income limits by county and a homebuyer class. FirstStep requires no home ownership in the past three years; SmartStep and Preferred do not require first-time status.

metroDPA (Denver and about 40 metro cities)Income limit $210,150 regardless of household size, no first-time requirement, no purchase-price cap, help up to 6 percent of the loan as a 0 percent second mortgage forgiven after three years in the home.

Displaced homemaker ruleUnder federal housing law a displaced homemaker cannot be denied first-time-buyer status because she owned a home with her spouse or lived in a home he owned. Ask whether the specific program adopts it.

Kenna’s guide to programsThe current list of Denver-area assistance programs is kept on our main site: mortgage assistance programs for Denver.

Rent for a year or buy now?

Honest answer: rent if your income is changing, your support is not yet flowing, your credit has a fresh late, or you do not know which side of town your life will be on in a year. Buy if the decree is entered, the numbers work at 43 percent of your gross income or less with room for repairs, and you plan to stay at least three years. The worst outcome is buying a second house you have to sell in 18 months. At today’s rates every $100,000 borrowed costs about $660 a month in principal and interest; work backward from the payment you can carry alone.

Where to search

Every home for sale in Colorado, straight from the MLS, is on kennarealestate.com. Search by city, ZIP, neighborhood or address, save searches, and get alerts. If downsizing is the plan, the complete list of 55+ communities in Colorado is there too. Nothing on our sites asks why you are looking.

Denver homes for sale Aurora Lakewood Littleton Centennial Highlands Ranch Parker Castle Rock Arvada Westminster Thornton Broomfield Boulder Colorado Springs Fort Collins

Questions people ask on this page

How soon after divorce can I get a mortgage?

As soon as the decree is entered and you can document income and the old loan’s treatment. There is no waiting period in the rules; the six-month support history and any recent lates are what set the real timeline.

Can I buy while the divorce is pending?

Rarely. The automatic injunction and the lender’s need for a final allocation of debts and support usually make it wait. Ask your attorney; some agreed cases get a court order that lets it happen.

Does alimony count as income for a mortgage?

Yes, with the decree, six months of receipt (three for FHA on court-ordered support) and three years of continuance. Child support is non-taxable and can often be grossed up by about 25 percent.

I have never been on a mortgage. Do I have credit?

Maybe thin. Open one card in your own name now, keep the balance under 30 percent of the limit, and pay it monthly. Six months of that helps more than people expect.

Buying a Home After Divorce in Colorado: One Income, the Down Payment, the Next Place

The short guide written for this page. Free, 4 pages, plain English, Colorado numbers. Fill in your name, email and phone and the PDF opens right away. Only Damon Chavez and Brian Burke see the form.

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Where to go next

Plain-language education, not advice. Divorce Decisions is published by The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC, a real estate team. Nothing here is legal, tax, lending or financial advice, and reading it does not create any professional relationship. Colorado law and lender rules change; confirm anything that matters to your case with a licensed Colorado attorney, a tax professional, and your lender. See our full disclaimer.

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