The short version: three numbers decide whether a first-time buyer in Colorado gets help: the program’s own cap, HUD’s income limit for the metro, and the FHA loan limit for the county. This page puts all three beside what a two-to-four-unit home costs in Denver, the only Colorado metro in the dataset, because a duplex you live in is the one purchase where the rent from the other unit counts toward qualifying.
The statewide program in Colorado
Local programs that beat the statewide one on a two-to-four-unit home:
- Denver, CO: metroDPA (regional), up to 5% of the first mortgage note amount (checked August 2026, source).
The full 83-metro survey, with the programs that failed the two-to-four-unit test, is on the down payment assistance page.
Income limits for assistance in Colorado, by metro
Why the limit moves: HUD sets a median family income for every metro each year and most programs cap eligibility at 80% of it. The published 80% figure is adjusted, so it is not always exactly 80% of the median. Denver is the only Colorado metro in the dataset; a buyer elsewhere in the state should look up that county’s own HUD figure.
| Metro | Area median income (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (1 person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | $144,000 | $106,800 | $74,800 |
What a duplex costs in Colorado, and the income it takes
The part most buyers miss: in Denver the income needed for the typical duplex sits above the four-person 80% limit, so income-tested assistance, where a city or county offers it, reaches cheaper buildings than the median one. The income figure is FHA’s 31% front-end guideline on the typical duplex at 6.71% with 3.5% down, before the 75% rent credit a lender applies to the second unit.
| Metro | Duplex entry price | Typical duplex | Income needed (31%) | Versus the 80% limit (4 people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | $550,000 | $700,000 | $222,077 | over |
FHA loan limits in Colorado for 2026
An FHA loan, the 3.5%-down loan most first-time buyers use, caps the loan by county and by unit count. The two-, three- and four-unit limits are higher than the single-family limit, which is why a duplex can be financed with the same small down payment at a higher price.
| Metro | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | $862,500 | $1,104,150 | $1,334,700 | $1,658,700 |
Where these numbers come from
- Down payment assistance: state and local program pages, each checked for two-to-four-unit eligibility in the month shown; the 83-metro survey is published as open data.
- Area median income and the 80% limit: HUD FY2026 Income Limits (Section 8), huduser.gov.
- FHA loan limits: HUD CHUMS CY2026 forward limits by county, one- to four-unit columns.
- Duplex prices: the Foothold dataset, active two-to-four-unit listings screened Jun-Aug 2026. Income needed: FHA 31% front-end guideline at 6.71% (Freddie Mac 30-year average), 3.5% down, county tax rate and modeled insurance.
- All of it, as one file: the open data page (CC BY 4.0).
Program terms change without notice and eligibility has more tests than income. Verify on the program page and with a participating lender before you count on any of it.
Questions people ask about buying a first home in Colorado
Does CHFA Colorado HFA1 / HFA1 Plus with optional CHFA DPA allow a duplex?
CHFA Colorado HFA1 / HFA1 Plus with optional CHFA DPA did not cover a two-to-four-unit home when checked in September 2026. The agency’s own guideline document says so: “Single family, one unit, attached, detached homes; PUDs, attached, detached; condominiums; modular; and manufactured housing on a permanent foundation”. A duplex buyer in Colorado looks to a city or county program, or buys with the FHA 3.5% minimum and the 75% rent credit doing the work instead of a grant.
What is the income limit for down payment assistance in Colorado?
The income limit most Colorado assistance programs use is HUD’s 80% area median income figure for the metro, which for a four-person household is $106,800 in Denver for FY2026. Smaller households get a lower figure; $74,800 for one person in Denver.
What does a duplex cost in Denver?
Denver is the only Colorado metro in the dataset; the entry price for a two-to-four-unit home that passed the screen is $550,000 and the typical one is $700,000. Entry means the 25th percentile of surviving listings, not the cheapest building on the market.
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