Reverse Mortgage in Highlands Ranch, CO

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Worried a reverse mortgage means your Highlands Ranch kids lose the house? They do not. Your heirs still inherit it, and when the loan is due they either keep it by paying off the balance, or 95 percent of the appraised value if that is less, or sell and pocket the remaining equity. On a $713K Highlands Ranch home in Douglas County that is usually meaningful equity, and non-recourse means they never owe more than the home is worth.

A typical Highlands Ranch home is worth around $713K in the south metro, and for a longtime owner most of that is untouched equity. A reverse mortgage only fits some situations, and I will say so when it does not. See how Highlands Ranch compares on my Colorado aging-in-place overview.

Updated August 16, 2026

Reverse Mortgage Specialist in Highlands Ranch, CO

Who is a local reverse mortgage broker in Highlands Ranch, CO? Christopher Gibson (NMLS #1910430) is an independent broker with C2 Financial Corporation (NMLS #135622). He helps Highlands Ranch homeowners age 55 and older (age 62+ for the government-insured HECM) turn home equity into funds for retirement. Because the funds are loan proceeds rather than income, they are generally not subject to federal income tax.* Call or text 720-449-6622.

This page covers Highlands Ranch and the areas around it. Lone Tree and Acres Green sit directly east. Castle Pines is just south, incorporated in 2008 and one of the wealthier cities in the country. Roxborough Park is the unincorporated pocket down at the hogback, next to the red rock at Roxborough State Park. Sterling Ranch is the newest of them, master-planned, with the first homes in 2016. Ken Caryl is the one that catches people out: it is Jefferson County, not Douglas, so the senior property-tax exemption goes through a different assessor. Littleton, Centennial, Castle Rock and Parker each have their own page.

Why a reverse mortgage appeals to Highlands Ranch homeowners 55+ attempting to age in place

Highlands Ranch is a large master-planned community in the south Denver metro, where a house bought when it was built is now worth around $713K. For a longtime owner on a fixed income as taxes climb, that equity is what a reverse mortgage reaches, most often to clear a monthly payment and stay put.

Highlands Ranch is Douglas County’s original master-planned retirement hotbed, a mix of original 1990s owners now aging in place alongside newer buyers, all drawn by the HRCA’s four recreation centers, trails, and HOA-maintained amenities that let seniors downsize their maintenance without downsizing their lifestyle. Three decades of appreciation means most longtime owners are sitting on substantial home equity.

Highlands Ranch reverse mortgage facts and figures

Highlands Ranch values sit near the top of the Denver metro suburbs, and it is the paid-off equity in its established homes that a reverse mortgage puts to work. Here are a few numbers worth knowing:

Home values: Zillow, July 2026. HECM limit: HUD/FHA 2026. Property tax: U.S. Census. Figures change, ask me for today’s numbers on your home.

What is your Highlands Ranch home worth today?

Curious what your home could be worth, and how much equity you have to work with? Use my free home-value tool below. Enter your address for an instant Highlands Ranch estimate you can track over time, at no cost and no obligation.

Aging in place in Highlands Ranch with a reverse mortgage: what it really costs

Highlands Ranch is a metro district community, and its district levies about 10 mills. New districts twenty minutes south in Castle Rock levy 74 to 95. Same county, same kind of entity, and the difference will show up on your tax bill every year for decades. If you are weighing a reverse mortgage in Douglas County, that gap is the first thing to understand.

Why an old district is a cheap district

Colorado has 2,541 metropolitan districts. Each one issued bonds to build the roads, water and drainage in its development, and levies its own mill on your property to repay them. The levy is not about the neighborhood’s quality or its amenities. It is about how much debt is left.

Highlands Ranch is built out and decades into repayment, which is why its levy sits near 10 mills. That is the single biggest financial advantage of buying here rather than in a new Douglas County subdivision, and almost nobody frames it that way. Confirm your own parcel with the county assessor, because district boundaries do not follow neighborhood names.

It still counts as a property charge on your loan

Ten mills is small, but it is not zero, and the federal rules count property taxes including any special assessments levied by local or State law as a property charge. Your metro district mill is billed by the county on the same statement as everything else, so it flows into the residual income test and into any set-aside calculation. On a Highlands Ranch file it rarely changes the outcome. On a new-district file it frequently does.

Almost none of this housing is old

The median Highlands Ranch home was built in 1997 and only 1.9% of the stock predates 1980, the lowest share of any market in my Colorado coverage. Two consequences worth knowing. An FHA appraisal here is unlikely to produce the condition findings and repair set-asides that dominate older markets, so files tend to run clean. And the aging-in-place retrofit list is shorter, because the doorways are already wide and a main-floor primary is common.

The other side: only 14.7% of residents are 65 or older. This is a family community where retirees are the minority, which means the equity you have built is real but your neighbors are on a different financial clock entirely.

The senior exemption is worth more than the headline suggests

Colorado exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value for owners 65 and older with ten consecutive years in the same home. Deadline July 15, then automatic renewal. Your dollar saving is the exempt value times the total mill levy on your parcel, so the exemption is worth more where levies stack higher. In Highlands Ranch that works against you slightly, which is a fair trade for paying 10 mills instead of 90 in the first place.

A reverse mortgage does not cost you the exemption. Title stays in your name and the statute has no reverse-mortgage exclusion. The property tax deferral is the opposite: Colorado bars reverse-mortgaged homes from that program outright. And the Qualified Senior Primary Residence classification, which lets a senior who moves carry the reduction to a new home without restarting the ten-year clock, ends after tax year 2026 under a bill signed this June.

Douglas County Assessor, senior exemption

Trauma care is a short drive in three directions

There is no designated trauma facility inside Highlands Ranch itself, but Littleton Adventist and Sky Ridge in Lone Tree are both Level II and each is roughly six or seven miles away, with Parker Adventist also Level II nearby. Colorado has only five Level I centers statewide and the closest are in Denver, Aurora and Lakewood. For a suburban retirement market this is close to the best position in the state.

Wildfire is not your problem, and that is worth saying

Highlands Ranch is not wildland-urban interface. The fires that reset Colorado’s insurance market, Marshall on the Front Range grasslands and Cameron Peak and East Troublesome in the mountains, are not your exposure. You will still feel statewide premium increases, reported above 100% since 2019, because carriers price broadly. Hazard insurance remains a property charge you must keep current for the life of a reverse mortgage, and a lapse is a default, so it belongs in the budget either way.

The most comfortable arithmetic in Colorado

The running cost of a mortgage-free Highlands Ranch home is $810 a month. Over a year that is $9,720 in taxes, insurance, utilities and association dues. $3,701 of that is the county. The median Highlands Ranch household aged 65 and over brings in $107,668. 24% of owners here aged 65 and over already spend 30% or more of their income on the house.

An $810 monthly carrying cost is on the high side, but a $107,668 median income for households 65 and over is the highest of any market I cover anywhere, and that ratio is the best in this state by a distance. If you live here and the numbers still feel tight, it is almost certainly a cash-flow timing problem rather than a structural one, and those have different solutions.

Altitude, aging, and the loan

Highlands Ranch sits at 5,834 feet. That is normal Front Range elevation. Most people acclimatize to it permanently and never think about it again, but it is still noticeably thinner air than anywhere at sea level.

Another entry on the long list of things that make aging in place here straightforward. And it connects to the loan directly: a reverse mortgage assumes this stays your principal residence, so being told to move lower is one of the ways a stay-put plan ends for medical rather than financial reasons. I have set out how that works on my Colorado reverse mortgage page.

The easiest files I write in Colorado

Housing where only 1.9% predates 1980, three trauma centers within a short drive, no meaningful wildfire exposure, and a population where nearly one in seven residents is already 65. Highlands Ranch is close to the best-case version of aging in place in this state, and appraisals here rarely turn up condition surprises. What you should still check is your metro district levy and your ten-year clock. My page on Colorado’s rules covers the exemption, the deferral and how retirement income is taxed.

Three numbers worth knowing before you commit

Federal price parities put the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area at 106, with 100 as the national benchmark. Residents reach a median 82.4 years here, well clear of the national 77.1. Worth weighing: the longer you stay, the more an unused credit line is worth. On the weather, snow needs shifting on about 21 days a year, and at some point that becomes somebody else’s job, and 28 days a year top 90F, on 284 dry days a year. Underneath all of it: a paid-off house still costs a median $810 a month to hold, 9% of typical income at 65 and over.

Sources: State of Colorado metro district dataset, July 2026; Douglas County Assessor; U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-Year (B01001, B25034, B25035, B25077, B25103); Colo. Const. art. X §3.5 and C.R.S. §§39-3-203 and 39-3-207; Colorado Division of Property Taxation; SB24-111 and SB26-116 (Qualified Senior Primary Residence classification and its repeal for tax years from 2027); C.R.S. §§39-3.5-103 and 39-3.5-105 and the Colorado Treasury property tax deferral program; SB25-261; 24 CFR §§206.27(b)(3) and 206.205; CDPHE designated trauma facilities; Colorado Division of Insurance. Statewide sources for Colorado’s exemption, deferral, insurance and income tax rules are listed on my Colorado reverse mortgage page. Assessment rates and mill levies are set annually and change. Figures are educational, verify your own before relying on them. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Quick guide: is a reverse mortgage right for me?

First, answer four short questions, and the guide will point you toward the resource that fits your situation. Of course, it is general guidance for learning, not an approval or a quote, and nothing you tap is stored.

Learn how reverse mortgages work

Reverse mortgage options in Highlands Ranch: HECM vs. jumbo

HECM covers most Highlands Ranch homes; a proprietary jumbo is built for higher-value homes above the FHA limit and for many condos. For the full side-by-side of HECM, jumbo, HELOC, and HEI, see the reverse mortgage comparison table, or the types of reverse mortgages for a plain-English rundown.

Buying a home? Consider a HECM for Purchase (H4P)

A HECM for Purchase lets you buy your next home using a reverse mortgage, so you put down a portion and finance the rest with no required monthly principal-and-interest payment. For a Highlands Ranch owner trading a two-story for a single-level home, it is a clean way to move without taking on a new monthly payment.

How much you can access depends on age, rates, and value. Start your own estimate with the reverse mortgage calculator below.

Full detail, including what you would need to bring at each age, is on the HECM for Purchase page.

How the process works, step by step

Consultation, HUD counseling, application, appraisal, closing, with a three-day right to cancel. Most Douglas County files fund in 30 to 45 days. Here is how a reverse mortgage works, step by step.

How much a reverse mortgage costs in Highlands Ranch

The biggest cost is FHA mortgage insurance: 2% of the home’s value upfront, plus about 0.5% a year on the balance, and that upfront premium funds the FHA guarantee behind the non-recourse protection. On a typical Highlands Ranch home at $713K that is about $14,300 at closing, and most of it rolls into the loan. Every fee, itemized.

The honest trade-offs (the balance grows, you still cover taxes and insurance, and it rewards a longer stay) are the same anywhere. I lay them all out in the pros and cons of a reverse mortgage.

Why work with a mortgage broker, not a bank

A bank sells you one rate sheet. I shop the same loan across more than 30 wholesale lenders, which also opens up the proprietary and jumbo programs a single bank cannot offer, and at Highlands Ranch’s $713K median that is often the difference between a HECM and a materially bigger draw. C2 Financial Corporation, NMLS #135622.

What happens to your home and your heirs

You keep the title, and the loan is non-recourse, so you and your heirs can never owe more than the home is worth. Heirs can repay, refinance, or sell and keep the rest, and Colorado has no estate or inheritance tax to complicate it. Timelines and the 95% rule.

What about condos and HOA approval?

A HECM needs the whole project FHA-approved and plenty of Highlands Ranch buildings are not. Ask me early if you are in a condo, because the project's approval status decides which programs are even on the table. A proprietary loan can often finance one that is not, so check the building before you assume the answer is no. Property and eligibility rules.

The HUD counseling requirement, explained

Federal HUD rules require an independent HUD-approved session before closing, usually low-cost or free, and it has to be finished before I can pull an FHA case number. HUD publishes the approved counselors serving Douglas County, so scheduling never has to stall your file. What the session actually covers.

Reverse mortgage FAQs for Highlands Ranch homeowners

What happens to my heirs if I have a reverse mortgage in Highlands Ranch?

They inherit the home just as they would otherwise, with the choice to keep or sell. To keep it they pay off the balance, or 95 percent of the appraised value if that is lower, usually by refinancing, and they generally have up to six months with extensions. They are never on the hook beyond the home's value. Here is what your heirs can do.

Can I get a reverse mortgage on a Highlands Ranch condo?

Often, yes. A standard FHA HECM needs the whole condo project to be FHA-approved, and many buildings are not. When that is the case, a proprietary reverse mortgage can usually finance a non-approved or non-warrantable condo. I check your specific building first.

How much can I borrow in Highlands Ranch?

It depends on the youngest borrower's age, current rates, and your home value. Most Highlands Ranch homes fall within the standard FHA HECM limit, while higher-value homes may also fit a jumbo program that exceeds it.

Is HUD counseling required in Highlands Ranch?

Yes. You must complete a session with a HUD-approved counselor before closing. It is usually low-cost or free. HUD publishes the approved counselors serving Douglas County, so scheduling never has to slow you down.

Do I still pay property tax with a reverse mortgage in Highlands Ranch?

Yes. With a reverse mortgage you keep title and remain responsible for property taxes, homeowners insurance, and upkeep. Depending on your age and income you may qualify for senior property-tax relief in Colorado (the programs vary by state and by county), and you can use reverse-mortgage funds to help cover those ongoing costs.

Have a question about a reverse mortgage in Highlands Ranch? Call or text me at 720-449-6622. No pressure, just straight answers.

Highlands Ranch neighborhoods and nearby areas I serve

I work with homeowners across the city and greater Douglas County. That includes Backcountry, Firelight, Northridge, Southridge, Eastridge, Westridge, Highlands Ranch Town Center, and Verado. Core ZIP codes include 80126, 80129, 80130.

See every area I cover on my reverse mortgages across Colorado page. Do not see your area? Reach out and ask.

If aging in place is your goal, local resources like Highlands Ranch Metro District Senior Center Programs & Services, and Highlands Ranch Metro District Resources for Adults 55+ can help you plan, and my free Aging-in-Place Home Scorecard lets you score any Highlands Ranch home in about 15 minutes to see how ready it is to grow old in.

About Christopher Gibson

Christopher Gibson (NMLS #1910430) is an independent mortgage and reverse mortgage broker with C2 Financial Corporation (NMLS #135622), serving homeowners across the states he is licensed in. Serving Highlands Ranch and nearby communities. Call or text 720-449-6622. More about Christopher.

Read reviews of Reverse Mortgages & Home Loans with Christopher Gibson at C2 Financial

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*This is general information, not tax advice. Reverse mortgage proceeds are loan advances rather than income and are generally not subject to federal income tax. Consult a CPA or tax advisor about your specific situation. Receiving loan proceeds may also affect eligibility for need-based government benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).