Colorado Divorce Decisions blog
How soon after divorce can I buy a house in Colorado?
You can buy a house after divorce in Colorado as soon as the decree is signed, because the state sets no waiting period. Your lender sets the dates that matter: 30 to 60 days, 6 months or 12 months.
Next free Zoom: second Saturday, 9:00 AM Mountain · in a few days · Divorce and the House: sell it, keep it or buy out?
Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree.
Colorado sets no legal waiting period, so how soon you can buy a house after divorce depends on your lender and your decree, not the court. A Colorado divorce takes at least 91 days from service to decree, and the cleanest close comes 30 to 60 days after the decree is signed. Lenders count maintenance and child support once you show a 6-month history and 3 years of continuance in the decree.
Is there a legal waiting period to buy after divorce in Colorado?
No. Colorado law does not tell a divorced person to wait before signing a purchase contract. The limits come from three places: the court's orders, your lender's rules and your own cash. Each one has a date attached, and the table below puts them side by side.
Start with the Colorado divorce process so you know which date belongs to which step. Then read the buying after divorce hub for everything that comes after the decree.
What changes at filing, at temporary orders and at the decree?
- At filing: the automatic temporary injunction starts. You cannot transfer or encumber marital property without the other spouse's consent or a court order. Property acquired before the decree is presumed marital.
- At temporary orders: the court or your agreement sets who pays what while the case is open. This is the first paper that shows child support or maintenance, and your support history starts with the first payment.
- At the decree: the house, the loan, the debts and the support terms are final. Every lender reads the decree. The earliest decree date is 91 days after service.
Our Colorado divorce checklist lists the paperwork for each step, and mediation versus litigation shows why the decree date moves.
Can I buy a house while the divorce is still pending?
Yes, with conditions. A new mortgage is new debt, and the injunction bars encumbering marital property without consent or a court order. If any of the money you use is marital, get your attorney's written sign-off before you write an offer. Confirm the details with a Colorado divorce attorney.
Most buyers wait for the decree, because the lender needs it to sort out the old loan and the support terms. Read buying a house during divorce in Colorado before you write an offer, and do not open new credit cards or finance a car until you close.
When does a lender count maintenance and child support as income?
Lenders count received maintenance and child support when two things are true. First, you have a documented history of receiving it, with 6 months as the common floor. Second, the decree shows at least 3 years of continuance from the date of your application. Support you pay counts as a debt in your debt-to-income ratio.
If support started under temporary orders, that history counts. If the first payment arrives at the decree, the 6-month clock starts then. The mortgage qualification after divorce page walks through the paperwork, and Colorado maintenance explains how the amount is set.
If you do not rely on support, nothing waits. Salary alone qualifies you as soon as the lender has your pay stubs, your W-2s and the decree.
When can I close 30 days after the decree, and when does it take 12 months?
The difference is the old mortgage. If your name is still on the marital-home loan, the lender counts that payment against you unless it can exclude it.
- 30 to 60 days: the decree assigns the loan to your ex and the lender verifies the assignment. The old payment drops out of your ratio and you close on a normal contract timeline.
- 12 months: no court order assigns the loan. The lender wants 12 months of on-time payments made by your ex, on the record, before it excludes the payment.
- Refinance route: your ex refinances into their own name and your name comes off the loan. The refinance deadline and qualifying alone page covers the timing.
A quitclaim deed does not remove you from the loan. Read quitclaim deed and the mortgage before you sign one.
What does the timeline look like month by month?
| When | What happens | Your move on buying |
|---|---|---|
| Month 0 | Petition filed or served; injunction starts | Freeze new debt; ask your lender for a payment check |
| Month 1 | Temporary orders set support and who pays what | Start your support history; gather pay stubs and W-2s |
| Months 2 to 3 | Financial disclosures and mediation | Get a written value on the marital home; set up a home search |
| Month 4 | Earliest decree, 91 days after service | Send the decree to your lender; make offers |
| Month 5 | Closing, 30 to 60 days after the decree | Get the keys if the decree assigns the old loan |
| Month 7 | 6 months of support on the record | Support income counts in your ratio |
| Month 12 | 12 months of payments by your ex on the old loan | The old payment drops out if no court order assigns it |
The table shows the fastest case. A contested case or a slow mediation pushes the decree out, and every later date moves with it.
Do I have to sell or refinance the marital home first?
Not by law. The decree decides who keeps the home, and your lender decides whether the old loan counts against you. Our who gets the house page lays out the options.
If the home sells, the proceeds arrive at that closing and fund your next down payment. Compare selling before or after the divorce with what the house is worth. The group writes a Smart Pricing Report on the marital home so both spouses see the same number. If your spouse keeps the home and buys you out, see home equity and spousal buyouts.
How do you pay for the next home this early?
Three programs cover the down payment: FHA at 3.5 percent down, conventional at 3 percent down for first-time buyers, and VA at zero down with restored entitlement. Read the first-time buyer guide and the FHA and VA guide to see which one fits. Your mortgage pre-approval shows your price range before the decree.
On one income, the payment matters more than the price. See living on one income after divorce and buying a house on one income in Denver. Our lender partner is Mike Oswald, VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate, NMLS 261003, Equal Housing Lender. You are free to use any lender. His page is Mike Oswald at Rate.
Where to go next
- The free buying after divorce guide
- Rent or buy after divorce in Colorado
- The free monthly divorce and the house Zoom
- The divorce realtors at the Kenna Real Estate Group
- Search every home for sale in Colorado
- Book a discovery call
Talk to us before you sign anything
The Kenna Real Estate Group writes a Smart Pricing Report on the marital home if it is still unsold, runs a payment check with the lender so you know your real price range, and sets up a search on kennarealestate.com for the day your decree is signed. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Free and confidential. You do not need to be ready to buy.
Quick answers
Can I sign a purchase contract before my decree is final?
Only with your attorney's sign-off. The automatic temporary injunction bars encumbering marital property without consent or a court order, and a new mortgage is new debt. Confirm with a Colorado divorce attorney before you write an offer.
What is the fastest a Colorado divorce can finish?
91 days from service. Your decree date sets the earliest closing on a home that depends on the decree, so add 30 to 60 days for the purchase itself.
Does my lender need to see the decree?
Yes, when the decree covers the old mortgage, debts or support income. The lender also reads temporary orders and any separation agreement to see who owes what.
Does my ex sign anything on my new mortgage?
No. Your ex does not sign your new loan. While the case is open, your attorney confirms the purchase does not violate the injunction.
What if my maintenance ends inside 3 years?
The lender does not count it. You qualify on your salary alone, or you wait for a stronger file. Ask your lender to run both numbers.
Can I get pre-approved before the divorce ends?
Yes. A pre-approval shows your price range, and the lender confirms the final numbers once it reads the decree. A payment check with the group takes one call.
Does the group help before the decree?
Yes. We write a Smart Pricing Report on the marital home, run a payment check with the lender and set up a search on kennarealestate.com. It is free and confidential.
Plain-language education from a Colorado real estate group, not legal, tax or financial advice. Numbers are as of September 2026. Disclaimer.
Call your Colorado divorce agent
Questions about the house, the deed or the decree?
Call us today to talk through your situation and how we can help. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree.
Free and confidential
Ask us about the house
Tell us where you are in the process and what you are trying to figure out. We will answer honestly, including when the honest answer is to wait. Free and confidential. You do not need to be ready to sell, and there is no pressure to list your home. Or bring your question to the free monthly Zoom, Divorce and the House, second Saturday at 9:00 AM.
303-955-4220A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Prefer email? homes@kennarealestate.com
Divorce Decisions™: Colorado divorce workshops and education. Real estate services provided by The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC. Not legal, tax, lending or financial advice.