Durango's Independent Mortgage Broker
Local expertise for La Plata County buyers, investors, and vacation property owners.
A hybrid market that needs a hybrid broker
Durango is rare in Colorado: it's a real primary-residence market, a real second-home market, and a real investor market all at once. Families relocating for Fort Lewis College or the hospital, second-home buyers chasing Purgatory powder days, and investors targeting STRs or long-term rentals near campus all compete for the same inventory. That mix means no single loan product fits the town — and a broker who only runs conventional purchases will leave a lot of deals on the table here.
Tayton Capital runs primary-residence (Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA), second-home, jumbo, DSCR, and Non-QM financing every week. We help you structure the loan around how you'll actually use the property — not just what's easiest to underwrite.
Purgatory Village & resort condos
Purgatory Village at Durango Mountain Resort is classified as a condominium hotel — and that classification matters enormously for financing. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not lend on condo-hotel projects, period. That means conventional loans, second-home conventional loans, and most retail-bank products are off the table. Buyers regularly get a verbal "no problem" from a national lender, only to be declined in underwriting when the project review comes back.
Purgatory Village units can be financed — just not conventionally. We place them with Non-QM and DSCR lenders that specifically allow condotels, typically with 25–30% down, 660+ credit, and pricing about 0.50–1.00% above conventional. The trade is real, but the loan is doable, and we've closed these units before. Send us the unit number before you write an offer and we'll quote terms within a day.
For more on financing Durango vacation property and condos, see our deep-dive: Durango second-home & vacation rental financing in 2026.
Buying a Durango short-term rental
Durango's STR rules are stricter than most Colorado mountain towns. Operating a short-term rental inside city limits requires a Limited Use Permit (LUP) from the City of Durango plus a lodger's tax license. LUPs are zoning-dependent — some residential zones have hard caps on the number of permits issued, and once a zone is full, new permits are waitlisted indefinitely. Buying a house planning to short-term rent it, without confirming permit availability for that specific address, is the most common way buyers get burned in this market.
We verify permit eligibility before you close — not after. And we structure the loan around your actual intended use. If the property qualifies and will operate as an STR, a DSCR loan qualifies on projected nightly income, typically 20–25% down, no W-2s, no tax returns. If you'll primarily use it as a vacation home with occasional rental, a second-home loan is cheaper (10% down, conventional rates), but it carries occupancy rules you have to respect. Misclassifying occupancy on the application is loan fraud — we'd rather price it honestly the first time.
More context on the Durango buying process: Buying a home in Durango, Colorado in 2026.
Loan programs for La Plata County
Conventional
3–5% down conforming financing for primary residences across La Plata County.
Learn moreFHA
3.5% down with flexible credit — strong fit for Durango first-time buyers.
Learn moreVA
0% down, no PMI, competitive rates for veterans buying in Durango and the surrounding area.
Learn moreUSDA
0% down for USDA-eligible parcels in rural La Plata County, including toward Bayfield and Ignacio.
Learn moreJumbo
Financing above the conforming limit for higher-end Durango and Purgatory-area homes.
Learn moreDSCR
Qualify on rental income — ideal for Fort Lewis College long-term rentals and Durango STR investors.
Learn moreNon-QM
Portfolio, bank statement, and condo-hotel financing for Purgatory Village and non-warrantable projects.
Learn moreFort Lewis College drives steady renter demand in Durango, which keeps multi-unit and long-term rental DSCR deals strong. Rural La Plata County — toward Bayfield and Ignacio — has significant USDA-eligible parcels for buyers looking outside city limits.
Buyers we've closed in Durango
"Two retail banks declined our condo because of the hotel program. TJ placed it Non-QM with 25% down and we closed in 30 days. He'd done this exact building before."
"TJ pulled the LUP rules for our target zone before we wrote the offer. We avoided a property that couldn't be permitted and bought one that could. DSCR loan closed clean."
"Bought a duplex near campus on a DSCR loan — no W-2s, no tax returns, qualified on the rent roll. Cash flow has been steady from day one."
Loan programs in this market
Nearby Western Slope markets
Buying in Durango or Purgatory?
Independent broker. STR-savvy. Condotel-capable. Call or text TJ at 970-708-9624.