Lakewood, CO
A better way to mortgage in Lakewood, CO.
We put first-time-buyer, FHA, conventional to work for Lakewood buyers — matched to your file, whether the address is Belmar or anywhere else in Lakewood.
Can Choice Home Mortgage help me buy a home in Lakewood, CO?
Yes. Choice Home Mortgage helps Lakewood buyers and homeowners through licensed partner brokers who handle the Colorado licensing, while we coordinate the Lakewood file and compare many lenders for it. We are a family-owned broker licensed in California (NMLS #2629064), and owner Esther Buede coordinates your loan from the first call to closing.
For 2026, a one-unit Lakewood home can carry a conforming loan of up to $862,500, the Jefferson County limit FHFA sets, and we check where your Lakewood price falls before you write an offer. The whole process runs by phone and online.
What it costs to buy in Lakewood — and how to finance it.
Lakewood is the western gateway to Denver via US-6 and the W Line light rail, giving a genuine 20-minute downtown commute alongside foothills access; as Denver’s core priced out first-time buyers, Lakewood absorbed demand for both the metro job market and outdoor access.
The loan has to fit the Lakewood picture. For a Lakewood one-unit home, the 2026 conforming line sits at $862,500 — high-cost-area room for Lakewood buyers. Which is why high-balance and jumbo structures are everyday Lakewood work — step one on a Lakewood file is placing the price against $862,500. Price-wise, Lakewood runs solidly middle-of-market — part of why Jefferson County counts as high-cost. Source: FHFA 2026 limits. We’ll verify your numbers.
2026 loan limits checked against FHFA’s county file; this page was last updated October 13, 2026.
Call it 147,000-plus people: Lakewood runs from Belmar to Green Gables, and Arvada and Littleton sit just outside the line. From Bear Creek Lake Park near Red Rocks outward, we treat Lakewood as home turf. We finance homes across Belmar, West Lochwood, Garrison Lakes, and Green Gables — and every other corner of Lakewood. From anywhere in Lakewood, the whole process runs by phone and online — local Lakewood market reads included, commute not required. We work 21 cities across Colorado; Lakewood gets the same discipline as all of them — verify the Lakewood numbers, then shop the loan.
The broker difference, Lakewood edition.
Lakewood market knowledge
From Bear Creek Lake Park near Red Rocks across Belmar, West Lochwood, Garrison Lakes, we keep tabs on what Lakewood homes actually go for and which programs carry them.
Down-payment friendly
We open most Lakewood files with first-time-buyer, FHA, conventional, then layer in whatever down-payment help your Lakewood numbers qualify for.
Lenders shopped for you
Your Lakewood file gets shopped across many lenders — a broker working Lakewood, not one bank's sales desk.
Direct to the owner
In Lakewood you get the owner, Esther Buede, coordinating your file personally, with no queue for Lakewood files.
Owner-coordinated, application to Lakewood keys.
Your Lakewood file is coordinated by owner Esther Buede (individual NMLS #2003644) personally, and Lakewood, West Lochwood included, gets her full attention. Choice Home Mortgage has worked that way since 2005. Meet the family behind CHM →
“They did what our bank of 20+ years could not — refinanced 2 of our homes in record time. The Dynamic Duo!”
Matched to your Lakewood purchase, not a template.
First-time-buyer work anchors our Lakewood lending, with Bear Creek Lake Park near Red Rocks part of the pull. Lakewood files most often land on first-time-buyer, FHA, conventional through our licensed partner-broker network — and past those, every Lakewood option gets shopped: VA, conventional, non-QM, and FHA. Ready or just curious — buying, refinancing your mortgage, or running scenarios — get started here or call (949) 522-7310.
Lakewood files here lean on conventional, first-time-buyer, FHA, high-balance.
Lakewood self-employed borrowers get their own path here, qualifying on 1099 income instead of W-2s; Lakewood investors have DSCR investor loans too. Jefferson County’s full 2026 loan limits by property type break down one- through four-unit ceilings if you want the complete picture.
Lakewood is the center, not the edge — Arvada, Littleton, Denver are covered too. All our Colorado coverage, city by city →
Working with Lakewood, CO buyers through licensed partner brokers — Choice Home Mortgage, California-licensed, NMLS #2629064. Equal Housing Opportunity. No Lakewood office — we work with Lakewood buyers remotely.
Lakewood mortgage questions, answered.
What counts as a conforming loan amount in Lakewood?
The 2026 conforming loan limit for a one-unit home in Lakewood is $862,500, the figure FHFA set for Jefferson County. High-cost status lifts the Jefferson County limit above the $832,750 national baseline, so a loan sized between the two is high-balance conforming. A two-unit property in Jefferson County can borrow up to $1,104,150 and stay conforming.
As a first-time buyer in Lakewood, where do I start?
Start by checking which of conventional and FHA loans you qualify for, since those are the loans first-time buyers in Lakewood use most. Some conventional programs accept 3% down from first-time buyers. For FHA, the 2026 one-unit limit in Jefferson County is $862,500, per HUD. FHA loans allow 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, under HUD's rules.
Are certain Lakewood neighborhoods outside your coverage?
No. Every Lakewood neighborhood is covered, Belmar, West Lochwood, Garrison Lakes and Green Gables included. What changes from one neighborhood to the next is the price and the appraisal, since the appraiser compares recent sales nearby. Licensed partner brokers originate loans across Belmar and Green Gables, and we coordinate them by phone and online.
Are you set up to arrange loans in Lakewood, CO?
Yes. Lakewood loans are arranged through licensed partner brokers in Colorado, with Choice Home Mortgage coordinating the file. Choice Home Mortgage is licensed in California (NMLS #2629064) and has no Lakewood office, so the application, documents and updates run by phone and online. Owner Esther Buede coordinates the file, and many lenders compete for it.
Can you help outside Lakewood too?
Yes. Our coverage goes past Lakewood to Arvada, Littleton and Denver. Every address is checked against its own county's 2026 limit before we quote. Licensed partner brokers originate those loans and Choice Home Mortgage coordinates them, the same way as a Lakewood file. The Jefferson County conforming limit for one unit is $862,500 in 2026.
How does the process run for a Lakewood buyer working with you?
A Lakewood buyer starts with one call to set the plan, then applies online, uploads documents and gets updates as the file moves. A licensed partner broker in Colorado originates the loan, and Choice Home Mortgage (California NMLS #2629064) coordinates it and compares many lenders. Owner Esther Buede is your point of contact from the first call to closing.
Also serving homebuyers near Lakewood
Start your Lakewood loan today.
The owner picks up, your Lakewood numbers get real, and lenders start competing for the Lakewood business.