The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora is the largest academic health center in the Rocky Mountain region. Its two affiliated hospitals — UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado — together see more than 2.6 million patient visits each year. The campus generates $910 million in research awards annually, employs thousands of physicians, researchers, nurses, and healthcare administrators, and is in the middle of a $4.3 billion campus transformation that will make it one of the largest medical redevelopment projects in the nation over the next decade.
UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital is the principal teaching hospital for the CU School of Medicine — founded in Boulder in 1883, relocated and consolidated at Anschutz. With 678 beds (830 available), Level I Trauma designation (one of only five hospitals in Colorado at this level), the state’s only ABA-Verified Burn Center, the only comprehensive transplant center in the multi-state Rocky Mountain region, the largest neurological ICU in Colorado, and national rankings in 4 specialties by U.S. News & World Report — this hospital trains and employs physicians at a level of scope and complexity that is unique in the region. It has been ranked #1 in Colorado by U.S. News for 14 consecutive years as of 2025. It handles 27,000 inpatient admissions and nearly 26,000 surgical procedures annually.
Children’s Hospital Colorado — with 434 beds, Level I Pediatric Trauma designation, U.S. News Honor Roll status (one of only 10 nationally), and national Top 10 rankings in Cardiology, Diabetes/Endocrinology, and Pulmonology — provides a second major physician employment anchor on the same campus, generating consistent demand from pediatric subspecialists who are among the most sought-after physicians in the country.
The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center is also located on the Anschutz campus, serving veterans across Colorado and surrounding states — adding a fourth institutional buyer profile to an already dense physician homebuyer market.
This concentration of medical training and practice in one geographic location in Aurora creates the most active physician mortgage market in Colorado. Residents and fellows in CU School of Medicine programs, attendings beginning careers at UCHealth or Children’s Hospital, subspecialists relocating to the only regional facility offering their care type, and senior department leaders buying into Aurora’s CCSD neighborhoods — all of them are active homebuyers, and physician mortgage loans are the tool designed for exactly this population. Ryan Lehrman, NMLS #235295, structures these programs for Aurora physicians at every stage of their career.
No PMI, regardless of down payment. In a market where many physician buyers are targeting Saddle Rock, Tallyn's Reach, or Southshore — neighborhoods where quality homes list from $700,000 to over $1 million — conventional PMI on a smaller down payment adds significant monthly cost. Physician programs eliminate PMI entirely on primary residence purchases at all down payment levels.
Student loan debt treated favorably. CU School of Medicine graduates carry medical school debt consistent with the national average — above $200,000. Conventional underwriting counts the full standard repayment monthly payment against DTI. Physician programs use the IBR/IDR monthly payment — often dramatically lower — or exclude student loans from DTI entirely, meaningfully expanding what a resident or early attending can qualify for in Aurora's market.
Employment contract qualifying. CU School of Medicine residents who have signed an attending contract — at UCHealth, at Children's Hospital, at a private practice affiliated with the Anschutz network, or anywhere in Colorado or nationally — can qualify based on that contract and its stated compensation even when the start date is up to 90 days away. This is the feature that allows residents completing rotations at UCHealth or Children's to buy a home before their training ends rather than renting through the transition.
Aurora's $862,500 conforming limit advantage. Aurora's conforming limit of $862,500 — the Denver metro high-balance figure — is $30,000 higher than the standard national baseline. For physician buyers, this means more of their purchase price can be financed under a standard physician program rather than requiring a physician Jumbo structure. A resident buying a $700,000 Saddle Rock home with 5% down ($665,000 loan) is well within the conforming limit and accesses the standard physician program's benefits without jumbo complexity. That advantage doesn't exist for the same buyer purchasing in Denver proper at equivalent prices.
Low and no down payment options. 0–5% down on primary residences up to certain loan amounts, preserving capital for student loan repayment, moving costs, and the financial transition expenses that accompany the residency-to-attending career shift.
UCHealth and Children's Hospital as nonprofit PSLF employers. Both UCHealth and Children's Hospital Colorado are nonprofit 501(c)(3) health systems — meaning employed physicians qualify their employment toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The practical mortgage effect: IBR/IDR payment, not the full standard repayment amount, is used for DTI qualifying. For a physician with $250,000 in medical school debt on an IDR plan paying $400 per month, that is the figure that appears in the DTI calculation — not the $2,500-plus standard repayment equivalent.
No prepayment penalty. As attending income grows through career advancement, the option to refinance or pay principal without penalty ensures flexibility.
MD (Doctor of Medicine)
DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)
DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery)
DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine)
DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
OD (Doctor of Optometry)
DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine)
PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy)
PA-C (Physician Assistant – Certified)
APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, including NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS)
Residents and fellows in accredited programs
Primary residence purchases with 0–5% down, no PMI, and student loan debt treated at IBR/IDR or excluded from DTI. Qualifying based on employment contract or current resident stipend. With Aurora’s $862,500 conforming limit, a large portion of Aurora single-family purchases — including quality homes in Saddle Rock’s entry tier, established Tallyn’s Reach properties, and newer Southshore homes below the $800,000s — fall within this program. Applicable to all eligible designations above, including CU School of Medicine residents and fellows across every specialty at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Attending physicians, subspecialists, and senior UCHealth or Children’s Hospital faculty purchasing in Saddle Rock ($912,100 median), Southshore ($835K listing median), or any Aurora property above $862,500 access physician Jumbo programs that extend specialty qualifying accommodations to higher loan amounts. No PMI, favorable student loan treatment, and employment contract qualifying all apply at the Jumbo tier as well. This is the program for the newly minted attending in a high-income specialty — orthopedic surgery, cardiology, neurosurgery, radiology — buying their first significant home.
Physicians building in Aurora Highlands, Painted Prairie, or on a custom Aurora lot combine physician-specific qualifying with the One-Time Close Construction single-closing structure. For residents building ahead of an attending transition, the contract-based income qualification extends into the construction loan.
Anschutz-specific program expertise — understands CU School of Medicine's residency and fellowship program structure and exactly how to document each training designation for physician mortgage lenders; no guesswork on which programs qualify
UCHealth and Children's Hospital nonprofit PSLF context — correctly documents 501(c)(3) employment status and IBR/IDR payment for the DTI calculation that determines loan amount
Aurora conforming limit clarity — confirms $862,500 high-balance limit before every Aurora physician consultation; ensures buyers are qualifying on the correct number from day one
Physician Jumbo depth — access to physician programs at loan amounts above $862,500 for attendings purchasing in Saddle Rock, Southshore, and Tallyn's Reach
Contract-based qualifying experience — structures pre-approvals for CU School of Medicine residents based on executing attending contracts before their first attending paycheck arrives
Efficient and focused process — Aurora's physician buyers are among the busiest professionals in the state; Ryan's consultation is organized, produces clear next steps, and doesn't require repeated follow-up
Ryan Lehrman, NMLS #235295
Professional status: Active license or ACGME-accredited GME program enrollment for an eligible designation; CU School of Medicine residents and fellows at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital or Children's Hospital Colorado qualify with program enrollment verification and appointment letter
Employment documentation: Pay stubs and employment verification for employed attendings; executed contract or offer letter with start date, position title, and compensation for residents and fellows transitioning to attending roles (start dates up to 90 days out accepted)
Student loan treatment: IBR/IDR monthly payment used for DTI in most programs; some programs exclude student loans entirely — lender-specific; Ryan identifies the most favorable treatment given each borrower's repayment structure and UCHealth/Children's Hospital PSLF employment status
Down payment: 0% in select programs up to certain loan amounts; 5–10% typical for physician Jumbo; 10–20% on higher physician Jumbo tiers depending on loan size and lender
Consultation — Ryan reviews your training or attending status, employment timeline, student loan balance and PSLF status at UCHealth or Children's Hospital, target neighborhood and price range, and identifies the right program and lender
Documentation assembly — CU School of Medicine enrollment verification or UCHealth/Children's Hospital employment letter, appointment letter or attending contract, student loan statements with current IBR/IDR payment, PSLF qualifying employer certification if applicable, and standard income and asset documentation
Pre-approval — lender-issued pre-approval letter at your target purchase price; in Aurora's CCSD neighborhoods — Saddle Rock, Tallyn's Reach, Southshore — a credible pre-approval is essential before making offers on quality properties
Under contract — appraisal ordered, title opened; Ryan manages the file through underwriting and coordinates on timeline
Closing — final conditions cleared; you take ownership of your Aurora home, positioned within walking distance or a short commute of one of the country's most significant academic medical campuses
Yes. UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital's ACGME-accredited residency programs qualify for physician mortgage loans at every PGY level. As a PGY-3, you qualify based on your current residency appointment letter and stipend — there is no requirement to be in your final year of training or to have signed an attending contract. Your student loan balance is treated at the IBR/IDR monthly payment rather than the full standard repayment figure, which for most residents on income-driven repayment is a fraction of the standard amount. Required documentation: your residency appointment letter, current stipend verification (pay stubs or appointment letter with compensation stated), and student loan statements. Ryan has structured physician loan pre-approvals for CU School of Medicine residents across every year of training and knows the documentation approach that works at each stage.
Yes — and this is exactly the scenario physician mortgage loans were designed for. Your signed attending contract with a start date up to 90 days in the future qualifies as income documentation. Ryan structures the pre-approval on your attending contract compensation — typically the base salary and any guaranteed first-year productivity payment stated in the contract — before your first day of work. The loan amount is based on your attending income, not your current fellowship stipend. The only timing consideration is that your closing date should not fall unreasonably far before your employment start date; Ryan reviews the specific timeline with you in the consultation to make sure the structure works. Interventional cardiology attendings buying in Saddle Rock is one of the most common physician jumbo scenarios in Aurora's market, and this is a well-understood, well-structured process.
Yes, in a specific and meaningful way. UCHealth and Children's Hospital Colorado are both nonprofit 501(c)(3) health systems, which means physicians employed directly by either institution qualify their employment toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For physician mortgage qualifying, this matters because your IBR/IDR monthly payment — not the standard repayment amount — is the figure used in the DTI calculation under most physician programs. On $250,000 in medical school debt with an IBR payment of $350 per month (a common figure for a resident or early attending on REPAYE), the DTI impact is $350 versus $2,500+ under standard repayment methodology. That difference — $2,150 per month in DTI exposure removed — can mean qualifying for a home in Saddle Rock or Southshore versus being pushed into a smaller purchase or a less desirable neighborhood. Ryan documents UCHealth and Children's Hospital PSLF employment status correctly and identifies which physician mortgage lenders apply the most favorable IBR/IDR treatment for your specific repayment plan structure.
Ready to finance your Aurora home with a program designed for your career? Let’s talk through your situation.
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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