Fort Collins’ jumbo market is meaningfully different from Denver’s or Boulder’s — and understanding that difference is the starting point for structuring the right loan. Larimer County’s 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750, the standard national baseline. The city’s median home price in spring 2026 runs approximately $553,000–$580,000, which means most buyers in Fort Collins are financing amounts well within conventional limits. Jumbo financing is not the default here. It is reserved for a specific, genuine upper tier: the fully restored Victorian and bungalow homes of Old Town Fort Collins on premium lots, where price per square foot significantly exceeds the city median; the Fossil Lake Ranch estates along the Fossil Creek Reservoir corridor in south Fort Collins; the Harmony Club golf community and the Harmony Road corridor’s most premium properties; and the foothills properties west of the city with Horsetooth Reservoir access and unobstructed Rocky Mountain views.
This selectivity is actually an advantage for Fort Collins jumbo buyers. Because jumbo is not the norm here — as it is in Boulder, where nearly every single-family purchase requires it — the buyers who are financing above $832,750 in Fort Collins tend to be purchasing with more equity, from positions of greater financial strength, and with income profiles that are often quite strong relative to the price points they are targeting. A Hewlett Packard Enterprise senior AI engineer with total compensation approaching $240,500 — buying a $1.1 million Fossil Lake Ranch estate with 20% down — presents a fundamentally stronger jumbo qualifying profile than a Boulder buyer stretching to finance a $2 million home at the same income level. Fort Collins’ jumbo market rewards buyers who have built genuine financial strength over time: senior CSU administrators, Woodward aerospace executives, HPE engineering leaders, and established physicians at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies.
Ryan Lehrman, NMLS #235295, structures jumbo mortgage loans across Fort Collins’ full upper-tier landscape — with the lender access and income documentation expertise to match each buyer’s profile to the program most likely to approve them on the best available terms.
A jumbo mortgage is any home loan exceeding the FHFA conforming loan limit for Larimer County — $832,750 for a single-family home in 2026. Any loan above that amount falls outside Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s purchase guidelines and must be originated and held or sold through private investors, with the underwriting standards set by each individual lender rather than by GSE guidelines.
In Fort Collins, the jumbo buyer profile is concentrated in the city’s most distinctive neighborhoods: Old Town’s historic streets, Fossil Lake Ranch’s reservoir-adjacent community, the Harmony corridor’s golf and estate properties, and the foothills west of Horsetooth Reservoir. Buyers at these price points have often built significant careers at CSU, HPE, Woodward, or in the broader Northern Colorado professional economy — and they bring financial profiles that, with correct documentation and the right lender match, present very favorably to jumbo underwriters.
Key Features of Boulder Jumbo Loans
Loan amounts from $832,751 up to $3 million and above
Down payment options starting at 5% on primary residences up to approximately $2 million
10% down available on primary residences up to $3 million with strong qualifying profiles
Minimum credit score typically 680–720 depending on loan amount and LTV
Reserve requirements of 6–24 months PITI depending on loan size and lender
RSU and equity compensation qualifying available for HPE, Intel, AMD, and Woodward income profiles
Academic income, summer stipend, and grant-funded salary qualifying available for CSU faculty buyers
Primary residences, second homes, and select investment properties eligible
Fixed and adjustable-rate options available
Loans from $832,751 to approximately $2–$3 million, covering most purchases in Old Town’s premium tier, Fossil Lake Ranch, Harmony Club, and Hearthfire. This is the primary jumbo tier for Fort Collins buyers and the one where academic income expertise and tech sector RSU documentation matter most. Programs available at 5% down on primary residences for qualified borrowers.
Loans above $3 million serve Fort Collins’ estate and acreage market — premium Horsetooth Reservoir-adjacent properties, significant custom homes on rural Larimer County land, and the most exceptional Old Town estates.
Attending physicians and sub-specialists at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital or Medical Center of the Rockies purchasing in Old Town, Fossil Lake Ranch, or any property above $832,750 access physician-specific jumbo programs that waive PMI, treat student loan debt favorably, and allow qualifying on an employment contract.
Old Town Fort Collins
Old Town is the cultural and geographic heart of Fort Collins — walkable, historic, and genuinely irreplaceable. Victorian homes, craftsman bungalows, and early-20th-century architecture line tree-canopied streets within minutes of the restaurants, breweries, and cultural venues that define what Fort Collins is at its core. Walt Disney World's Main Street USA was modeled on Old Town Fort Collins — a detail that captures something specific and real about the neighborhood's character. Fully restored Old Town homes on premium lots list from $700,000 to well over $1 million, with the most significant historic properties on the best streets reaching into jumbo territory at prices that reflect what buyers are genuinely willing to pay for irreproducible character and location. Price per square foot in Old Town consistently exceeds the city median. New construction cannot replicate what Old Town offers, which gives it a structural demand advantage over every other Fort Collins neighborhood.
Fossil Lake Ranch
Fossil Lake Ranch sits in south Fort Collins along the Fossil Creek Reservoir — one of the city's most desirable neighborhood locations, combining water views, a community clubhouse, large lot sizes, and some of Fort Collins' highest-rated Poudre School District schools. The neighborhood draws HPE engineers, Woodward executives, and established professional families who want a community with genuine amenity access and a quality of school district that justifies paying a premium. Luxury estate homes in Fossil Lake Ranch list from $800,000 to well above $1 million for the most significant properties, placing most purchases firmly in jumbo territory.
Harmony Club and Harmony Corridor
The Harmony Road corridor in south Fort Collins anchors the city's semi-private golf lifestyle — with Harmony Club offering a well-regarded golf course within a residential community, and the surrounding Harmony area providing newer luxury construction, convenient I-25 access, and proximity to the tech and commercial corridor along Harmony Road where several of Fort Collins' major employers operate. Homes in the Harmony corridor's premium sections range from $700,000 to $1.5 million and above for the most significant properties.
Hearthfire
Hearthfire, in north Fort Collins near Timnath Reservoir, is one of the city's most established upper-tier communities — large lots, mountain views, a neighborhood character defined by long-term residents, and a location that offers both separation from the urban core and convenient access to everything Fort Collins provides. Luxury properties in Hearthfire list from $800,000 to over $1 million, with the most significant custom-built homes reaching higher. Buyers here are typically established professionals and executives who have built careers in the Fort Collins economy and are settling into a long-term residence rather than a starter home.
Horsetooth Foothills
The properties immediately west and southwest of Fort Collins — those adjacent to Horsetooth Reservoir and the Lory State Park/Horsetooth Mountain Open Space complex — represent Fort Collins' most distinctive lifestyle proposition. This is the Rocky Mountains accessible from a residential address: sailing on the reservoir, hiking directly from the backyard, and mountain views from every window. Acreage properties and custom homes on the reservoir's eastern rim list from $1 million to several million dollars for the most significant estate-scale properties. There is no other city in Colorado where reservoir-access lifestyle real estate exists at this proximity to an active university city — which creates sustained demand that doesn't respond to broad market softening the way urban neighborhoods do.
Academic income expertise — CSU tenure-track, research faculty, and administrative income structures documented and presented correctly; summer stipends, grant income, and sabbatical arrangements handled with lender-matching precision
HPE, Woodward, and tech sector income — RSU grants, equity compensation, aerospace performance bonuses, and profit-sharing correctly documented and counted toward qualifying income
Multiple jumbo lender access — not one bank's product; programs matched to each buyer's income profile, purchase price, and property type
Fort Collins neighborhood knowledge — understands what drives premium pricing in Old Town, Fossil Lake Ranch, Harmony Club, and the Horsetooth foothills, and can speak credibly to lenders about collateral value in each area
Physician jumbo capability — PVH and MCR attending physicians buying at jumbo price points with specialty qualifying accommodations
Northern Colorado market fluency — understands how Fort Collins pricing compares to Loveland, Windsor, and Timnath, and can advise buyers on where jumbo applies and where it doesn't
Ryan Lehrman, NMLS #235295
Loan amount: Above $832,750 (Larimer County 2026 conforming limit); programs to $3 million and above
Credit profile: Typically 680 minimum; 720+ preferred for best pricing and lowest down payment requirements
Income documentation: W-2 including RSU and equity comp, academic income with supplemental components, self-employed, physician contract, and complex income profiles all eligible with proper lender matching
Reserves: 6–24 months of PITI depending on loan size and lender; investment accounts, retirement assets, and business reserves typically counted
Confidential consultation — Ryan reviews your income profile, target neighborhood, and purchase price range to identify the right lender and program before you enter the contract market
Income documentation strategy — RSU vesting schedules, HPE or Woodward employment and compensation verification, CSU faculty summer stipend documentation, physician employment contracts, and any other complex income materials organized for the strongest possible qualifying file
Pre-approval — lender-issued pre-approval letter at your target price; in Old Town and Fossil Lake Ranch, where the best properties move quickly, a credible pre-approval matters
Property under contract — appraisal ordered, title opened, underwriting submitted; Ryan manages the file from submission through conditions clearance
Closing — final conditions cleared; you take ownership of your Fort Collins property with financing structured specifically for your situation
Yes, with correct documentation and the right lender. Hewlett Packard Enterprise's RSU grants vest on a defined schedule, and most lenders require a two-year history of receiving RSU income before including it in qualifying calculations. The methodology for averaging RSU income — whether the lender uses the lower of the two years, a straight average, or another calculation — varies by program and affects your qualifying income significantly. Ryan works with HPE employees in Fort Collins specifically and knows which jumbo lenders apply the most favorable RSU income calculation, and how to assemble the documentation — RSU grant letters, vesting schedules, stock sale proceeds on prior-year returns — into a qualifying file that accurately reflects your real total compensation.
Your base salary is straightforward to document through your W-2 and employer verification. The complexity lies in your summer research stipends, which are often funded through federal grants (NSF, NIH, USDA) rather than CSU's regular payroll — meaning they may appear on your W-2 with different coding, on a 1099, or as income from a separate entity depending on how CSU processes the grant. Some lenders will count these amounts fully; others require a two-year average; others exclude them entirely if they can't trace the source. Ryan knows which approach each lender takes and structures the file so your summer income is documented in the format the most favorable lender requires. Bring your last two years of tax returns, your current appointment letter, and your most recent grant notification to the initial consultation.
Old Town's value is structural rather than cyclical. The neighborhood's historic character — Victorian homes, brick streets, walkable proximity to Pearl-Street-style dining and breweries — cannot be replicated by new construction anywhere in Larimer County. CSU's enrollment of 34,412 students ensures a permanent demand foundation for the surrounding urban core. Fort Collins' ranking as a top-20 U.S. tech city for IT jobs and the city's ongoing attraction of HPE, Intel, and AMD talent sustains the professional buyer pool that competes for Old Town properties. The city's 285 miles of bike trails and direct access to the Cache la Poudre River add lifestyle infrastructure that holds value through market cycles. Old Town has appreciated through every market environment in the modern Fort Collins real estate era precisely because what it offers — irreplaceable character, walkability, and location — is genuinely finite.
Ready to finance your upper-tier Fort Collins property? Schedule a confidential consultation today.
Originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I moved to Phoenix to attend Arizona State University and have proudly called Phoenix home ever since.
My journey into the mortgage industry began with a friend’s encouragement, who saw how my energy and people-first mindset could make a difference. He was right — I found my calling.
I’ve always embraced what makes me different. With ADHD as my secret weapon, I thrive in fast-paced, detail-heavy environments. I’ve built my career on clear communication, creative problem-solving, and putting clients first, always.
Outside of work, my greatest motivation is my wife and three amazing kids. I’d be honored to help guide you through your lending journey with care, clarity, and commitment.
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