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HUD news, guides and what is changing in Colorado
Every guide on this site in one feed, newest first, plus what is moving in Colorado housing, interest rates and HUD policy. Written for Colorado buyers, updated as things change.
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Long-form, Colorado-specific
Bidding, financing, inspections, programs, cities.
What changed this month
Rates, HUD policy, CHFA limits, inventory.
Fourteen metro Denver cities
What turns up where, and what to check.
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If a post raises a question, call 303-955-4220.
Newest first. If you want the short version of any of these, the FAQ page answers the same questions in a paragraph each. For the rest of Colorado real estate, the Kenna Real Estate Group blog covers buying, selling, financing and every Front Range city.
CHFA refinance with no appraisal in Colorado: what exists and what does not
CHFA does not refinance. If your CHFA loan is FHA, the FHA Streamline is the no-appraisal refinance you are looking for. Here is how it works in Colorado.
What happens when a HUD home receives no acceptable bids: the extended period, price reductions and re-listings
No acceptable bid in the first round is normal. The home moves to daily review, then the extended period, then periodic price reductions that restart the clock. How the cycle runs and where buyers find the deals.
Common reasons HUD bids are rejected, and how to make sure yours is not one of them
Net too low, the wrong financing for the code, a bad NAID, an incomplete owner-occupant certification, a late contract package. The reasons HUD bids get rejected or cancelled, in the order we see them.
Colorado HUD closing-cost requests: asking HUD to pay up to 3 percent, and what it does to your bid
You can ask HUD to pay part of your closing costs on the bid form. How much, what it can cover, how it reduces HUD’s net and can cost you the house, and when to ask for less.
HUD homes and FHA 203(k) financing in Colorado: buying the house and the repairs with one loan
A 203(k) loan funds a HUD home and its repairs together, which is how a buyer with 3.5 percent down buys a UI or UK home. Limited versus Standard 203(k), the consultant, the timeline and where it goes wrong.
Can a buyer cancel after inspecting a HUD home? Yes, and here is what it costs
There is no inspection contingency on a HUD contract, but you can still cancel. What an owner-occupant forfeits, what an investor forfeits, the reasons that get all the earnest money back, and how to cancel correctly.
What happens after a HUD bid is accepted: the 48-hour package, inspections, the loan and the closing deadline
Your bid was accepted. Now the clock starts: the contract package and earnest money within two business days, utilities and the inspection inside 15 days, the appraisal, and a closing deadline HUD enforces.
Owner-occupant versus investor bidding periods on HUD homes: who can bid when, and the certification you sign
Owner-occupants get an exclusive head start on every HUD home; investors bid in the extended period. How long each period runs by financing code, what the owner-occupant certification means, and the penalties for lying on it.
How HUD bid deadlines work: listing periods, bid open dates and the clock that actually matters
HUD bids are sealed and opened on a schedule, not first-come. How the exclusive period, the initial bid round, daily review and the extended period work, and why the deadline on the listing controls.
Colorado HUD financing codes explained: IN, IE, UI and UK, and what each one lets you borrow
The four FHA financing codes on a HUD Home Store listing decide which loans the house can take: IN insured, IE insured with escrow, UI uninsured, UK uninsured but 203(k) eligible.
How to read a HUD Home Store listing: every field on the page, in plain English
Case number, listing period, bid deadline, financing code, repair escrow, occupancy type, the As-Is value and the PCR. What each field on a HUD Home Store listing means and which ones decide whether you can bid.
Why the Kenna Real Estate Group Is the One to Call for a HUD Home in Colorado
HUD-registered and using it weekly, the only Colorado site built around HUD homes, a team led by a broker who wrote the book, Keller Williams DTC behind it, a lender who files HUD loans every week, and it costs you nothing.
The HUD $100 Down Program in Colorado: How It Works, What It Saves, and How to Stack It
Some Colorado HUD homes let an owner-occupant with FHA financing put down $100 instead of 3.5%. Which homes qualify, what you still pay, and how it stacks with Good Neighbor Next Door and CHFA.
Investors and HUD homes: when you can bid, what you cannot use, and how to actually win
Investors can buy HUD homes, but only after the owner-occupant exclusive period, with no $100 down and no GNND, and with the whole deposit at risk. The calendar, the rules and the plays that work.
Lead-based paint on HUD homes built before 1978: what HUD stabilizes, what you sign, and the 10-day right
Most Denver HUD homes predate 1978. HUD tests them and stabilizes defective paint before closing on FHA-financed sales. What the addendum says, how the 10-day inspection right works, and where kids come in.
Who pays your agent on a HUD home: the commission line on the bid, and why it changes your net
HUD pays your buyer’s agent out of the sale, up to 3% of the price, if the bid asks for it. That commission reduces HUD’s net and can decide who wins. How to think about it.
HUD earnest money: the exact amount, the 48-hour rule, who holds it and how you get it back
HUD earnest money is $500 or $1,000, delivered within two business days of acceptance as a cashier’s check. Who holds it, what it credits toward, and how refunds actually arrive.
HUD home vs. bank-owned vs. short sale: how the three foreclosure paths differ for a buyer
All three are distressed sales. Only one has a public bid deadline, a fixed deposit and a written forfeiture rule. What changes for you depending on who owns the house.
Buying a HUD home after a bankruptcy or foreclosure: the waiting periods by loan type
A past bankruptcy or foreclosure does not bar you from a HUD home. It sets a waiting period that depends on the loan. FHA is the shortest, which is why HUD homes and FHA go together.
HUD home appraisals: the FHA appraisal HUD already has, and what happens when it comes in low
FHA buyers usually do not order a new appraisal on a HUD home; they use the one HUD ordered when it listed. VA and conventional order their own. What that means when the number is low.
Paying cash for a HUD home: proof of funds, the 30-day close, and when cash actually wins
Cash buyers on HUD homes get 30 days, need proof of funds with the bid, and do not automatically beat financed buyers. HUD picks the highest net, not the fastest money.
Conventional renovation loans on HUD homes: HomeStyle and CHOICERenovation versus the 203(k)
Uninsured HUD homes need renovation money built into the loan. FHA 203(k) is the usual answer, but Fannie Mae HomeStyle and Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation work too, with no mortgage insurance forever. Compare.
Using a VA loan on a HUD home: what works, what the appraiser will flag, and the $100 down myth
Veterans can buy HUD homes with zero down. VA works on insured homes that meet VA’s minimum property requirements, and it does not use the $100 down incentive because it does not need it.
FHA condo approval and HUD condos: why some are insured and some are not
A HUD condo marked IN sits in an FHA-approved project. A UI condo usually means the project is not approved. What single-unit approval is, what it costs, and how long it takes.
Manufactured homes on HUDHomeStore: what you can finance and what you cannot
HUD sells manufactured homes too. Whether you can get an FHA loan depends on the foundation, the HUD tags, the year and the land. The checklist.
HUD homes with an HOA: who owes the old dues, Colorado’s super lien, and FHA condo approval
Buying a HUD home in an HOA means three questions: who pays the past dues, whether the condo is FHA-approved, and what the HOA can still demand of you at closing.
Mold and meth in HUD homes: what HUD discloses, what it does not, and how to test before you bid
HUD sells as-is and often does not know a home’s history. In Colorado meth contamination is a real risk in foreclosures. How to test for mold and meth cheaply, and what a positive result means for your contract.
Winterized HUD homes: turning the utilities on for your inspection and appraisal
HUD homes are winterized and the water is off. To inspect or appraise you request utility activation, pay the deposit, and re-winterize afterward. The 3-day window and what it costs.
HUD closing deadlines and extensions: 30 or 45 days, then $375 to $750 per 15 days
Financed HUD buyers get 45 days to close, cash buyers 30. Miss it and you buy 15-day extensions at a fixed fee, if HUD agrees. How the clock works and how to avoid paying.
Canceling a HUD contract: which reasons get your earnest money back and which do not
HUD’s forfeiture rules are written down and the asset manager follows them. What owner-occupants get back, why investors usually get nothing, and how to cancel cleanly.
Free guide, PDF
The Colorado HUD Home Buyer's Playbook
How HUD bidding really works, the nine ways buyers lose, and the bid worksheet. 18 pages, free.
Why you want it before you bid:
- The 15-day owner-occupant window, day by day, so you never miss a deadline
- The net-to-HUD math HUD actually scores, with a one-page bid worksheet
- The nine ways buyers lose a HUD home, and how each one is avoided
Find every home available, not just HUD homes
Advanced home search: every listing on the Colorado MLS, with the full filters, on kennarealestate.com.
Opens kennarealestate.com, the Kenna Real Estate Group’s full MLS search. HUD homes only? Use the tiles and the map on this site.
Ask us about anything you read here
Tell us what you are working with and we will tell you honestly whether a HUD home is the way to get there. No cost, no obligation, and nobody sells you anything.
Call or text 303-955-4220
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