Quick answer: Fannie Mae lets a signed, non-contingent job offer count as qualifying pay, and on a one-unit primary home with fixed base pay you can close up to 90 days before your start date. On an $800,000 Morrison 80465 home with 20% down at 7.18%, the $640,000 loan runs about $4,336 a month in principal and interest.
By Katerina Veteskova, Colorado real estate broker license FA.100082955, eXp Realty, LLC
Buyers moving to the foothills often reach me with a signed offer from a new employer and no paystub yet. They want to know whether a lender will let that letter carry the loan, and how the start date lines up with closing.
My example is an $800,000 purchase in the 80465 zipcode with 20% down, or $160,000, financed with a $640,000 30-year fixed loan.
Can you buy a Morrison home on a job offer before your first day at work?
Yes, if the offer is signed, non-contingent and spells out the terms.
Under Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-03, the lender reviews your fully executed offer or contract. It must name you and the employer and show the position, the type and rate of pay, and the start date. Your acceptance can be shown with a signed agreement or a confirming email. The lender then qualifies you on the monthly pay stated in the offer letter.
What does an $800,000 Morrison 80465 purchase cost each month at 7.18%?
About $4,336 a month in principal and interest on a $640,000 loan.
That figure uses the 30-year fixed average that Freddie Mac published as of November 5, 2026. Property tax, homeowners insurance and any association or metro district charges are added to it. The loan stays below the $862,500 one-unit conforming limit for Jefferson County in the FHFA 2026 county loan limit file.
How close to your start date can you close?
Fannie Mae offers two paths, and the one your lender uses sets the timing.
- Paystub path: the lender saves a paystub from the new job that supports the offer in the loan file before it delivers the loan to Fannie Mae, and it completes a verbal check of your employment.
- Before-paystub path: your start date can fall no earlier than 30 days before the note date and no later than 90 days after it, on a purchase of a one-unit primary home qualified on fixed base pay only.
With a note date of December 15, 2026, that second window runs from November 15, 2026 to March 15, 2027. If the offer carries conditions of employment, the lender must confirm before closing that every one of them is met.
Email me Morrison listings from $700,000
Email me new Morrison and 80465 listings from $700,000 as they hit the market, so I can match a closing date to my new start date.
How much extra cash does closing before your first paycheck take?
On the before-paystub path, six months of PITIA or enough to carry your counted monthly debts until you start, plus one month.
That cash is in addition to any reserves the underwriting findings or the transaction already require. PITIA is the full housing payment: principal, interest, taxes, insurance and association dues. Six months of the $4,336 principal and interest alone comes to about $26,013 before taxes and insurance.
For the second option, a February 8, 2027 start after a December 15, 2026 note date counts as two months, because any part of a month can count as a full one, plus one, for three months. Three months of principal and interest alone is about $13,007, and the lender adds taxes, insurance and your other counted debts. Pay you still receive from your current job between closing and the start date can count toward it.
Close before your start date if:
- Your offer is signed, has no open contingencies and lists fixed base pay
- You are buying a one-unit primary home, not a second home or a rental
- You can document the extra months of cash beyond your down payment and closing costs
Wait for your first paystub if:
- Part of the pay you need is bonus, commission or overtime, which the before-paystub path does not allow
- Your start date falls more than 90 days after your target closing
- You would rather not set aside the extra months of cash
Which job offers will not work for an early closing?
Offers from a relative or from an interested party to the sale do not qualify on either path.
Fannie Mae lists the property seller, the builder or developer, and the real estate agent or broker among interested parties to a transaction. The before-paystub path also leaves out refinances, second homes, investment property and two- to four-unit homes, since it is limited to one-unit primary home purchases.
Is $800,000 a realistic price in 80465?
It sits a little above the recent 80465 median and inside the Living Morrison search from $700,000 to $1,000,000.
For the three months ending October 2026, Redfin showed an 80465 median sale price of $762,109, about 43 days on the market and a 99.4% sale-to-list ratio. That pace leaves room to line up your offer letter and lender file before you write an offer. Browse Morrison homes from $700K, Morrison 80465 homes from $700K and Morrison $700K to $1M, plus Morrison homes from $1,200,000 if your budget stretches.
Which nearby Jefferson County searches fit an $800,000 budget?
Start with Golden 80401 homes from $700K, Golden $700K to $1M and Littleton 80123 homes from $700K, then Littleton $700K to $1M, Lakewood 80226 homes from $700K and Lakewood $700K to $1M.
For attached homes see Jefferson County townhomes and condos from $700K, for more bedrooms see Jefferson County 4+ bedroom homes from $700K, and for a wider view open Front Range homes from $700K to $1M. If you are relocating to Colorado, compare relocating from Texas to Jefferson County and relocating from California to Jefferson County, or read what $700,000 buys in Jefferson County and first home in Jefferson County.
Broker view: "A signed offer letter is a strong document, but the calendar matters as much as the paper. I like to set the closing date with the start date in front of me, so my buyer knows early which path the lender is using and how much cash to hold back." - Katerina Veteskova, eXp Realty, LLC
What this guide does not cover: FHA, VA and jumbo job offer rules, lender overlays stricter than Fannie Mae, self-employed or contract work, employer relocation benefits, Morrison property tax, insurance or metro district dollar amounts, and moving costs. It is general information rather than financial advice, so confirm the path and the dates with your lender.
Sources: Freddie Mac weekly survey, 30-year fixed at 7.18% as of November 5, 2026. Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-03 on employment offers or contracts and B3-4.1-02 on interested parties, both read November 10, 2026. FHFA 2026 county loan limit file, Jefferson County one-unit row. Redfin 80465 snapshot for the three months ending October 2026. Principal and interest is my own amortization of a $640,000 loan, shown as an illustration.
Have an offer letter and a Morrison move on the calendar? Call or text 720-646-4685, or request a tour.
Frequently asked questions
Can a job offer letter count as qualifying pay for a mortgage?
Yes. Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-03 lets the lender use the monthly pay in a fully executed, non-contingent offer or contract that names you, the employer, the position, the pay and the start date.
How long before my start date can I close on a home?
On the path where the lender does not hold a paystub before delivering the loan, your start date can be no later than 90 days after the note date and no earlier than 30 days before it. That path covers one-unit primary home purchases qualified on fixed base pay.
How much cash should I hold if I close before starting a new job?
On that before-paystub path, Fannie Mae asks for six months of PITIA or enough to cover your counted monthly debts for the months until you start, plus one, in addition to any other reserves the loan already requires.
Does an offer from a relative count?
No. Neither path is allowed when the employer is a relative or an interested party to the sale, such as the seller, the builder or a real estate agent.
Katerina Veteskova is a Colorado real estate broker (license FA.100082955) with eXp Realty, LLC. Call or text 720-646-4685, or request a tour.