First Step Home Loans

What First Step Home Loans does

First Step Home Loans (legal entity: Steps Home Loans LLC, NMLS #2173666) is a Colorado-based mortgage broker headquartered in Aurora, CO, founded in 2019 by Daniel Dixon as an extension of his real estate operation, The Dixon Group. The company originates purchase and refinance mortgages across eight loan programs — 30-year and 15-year fixed, adjustable-rate, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo (up to $3,000,000), and FHA 203K renovation loans — serving Colorado home buyers and homeowners in the Denver metropolitan area. Its core platform is a digital mortgage origination stack: a secure online application portal (my1003app.com) where borrowers complete applications and lock rates in roughly 10 minutes, supplemented by free qualifier tools (USDA, 203K, FHA), a mortgage payment calculator, a home value estimator, an insurance quote tool, and a refinance analysis module.

The business model is a transactional, fee-based broker model: revenue is generated through origination commissions and yield-spread compensation on closed loan volume, with rates quoted on a per-borrower, per-product basis rather than via published pricing. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer in Colorado, combining digital self-service on the website with phone-based inside sales led by licensed loan officers. Lead generation is materially supported by The Dixon Group, an affiliated Keller Williams real estate team ranked #1 in Colorado with $300M+ in home sales and 900+ homes sold over six years, providing a captive referral pipeline of pre-qualified buyers. The company reports $100M+ in cumulative closed loan volume since inception and has recently doubled both team headcount and monthly production, though it remains a privately held, bootstrapped, founder-led operation with no institutional funding, no disclosed revenue, and no identified AI/ML or proprietary technology assets beyond the standard digital origination workflow.

Name

First Step Home Loans

Legal name

Steps Home Loans LLC

Website

https://firststephomeloans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Step Home Loans is a Colorado-based mortgage broker (Steps Home Loans LLC) offering conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, and renovation loan products to home buyers and refinancers in the Denver metro area, distributed direct-to-consumer via a digital origination platform backed by phone-based loan officers and an affiliated real estate referral pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Mortgage Brokerage

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Mortgage Brokerage (Purchase & Refinance) (FSAEAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Renovation Mortgage Origination (FHA 203(k), HomeStyle, CHOICERenovation) (FSALAAAL)

Keywords

• Mortgage brokerage
• Residential lending
• Home refinance loans
• Government-backed mortgages
• Jumbo home loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Origination Fees: First Step Home Loans generates revenue through loan origination fees charged on mortgage transactions. As a mortgage broker, they connect borrowers with lenders and earn commissions or fees based on closed loan volume.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Step Home Loans is a Colorado-based mortgage broker that originates and closes residential mortgage loans for home purchases and refinances. The company offers eight primary loan programs (30-Year Fixed, 15-Year Fixed, ARM, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, and 203K renovation loans), delivers personalized digital rate quotes, supports a secure online application platform (my1003app.com), and guides borrowers through closing with a 2-week approval timeline.

Product overview

First Step Home Loans operates as a Colorado-based mortgage broker offering a comprehensive suite of mortgage products centered around purchase and refinance lending. The core product portfolio spans eight primary loan programs: 30-Year Fixed, 15-Year Fixed, Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM), FHA, VA, Jumbo, 203K Renovation, and USDA loans. These loan products are complemented by a set of digital tools including a secure online loan application platform (my1003app.com), mortgage payment calculator, home value estimator, and insurance quote tool. The company positions itself around fast, streamlined digital processes delivering customized quotes and approvals typically within two weeks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Traditional fixed-rate residential mortgage with a constant interest rate and unchanging monthly payments over the full 30-year term, targeted at Colorado home buyers and refinancers seeking payment stability.
• 15-Year Fixed Mortgage Fixed-rate mortgage fully amortized over 15 years with constant monthly payments and typically lower interest rates than the 30-year option, suited to Colorado borrowers who want faster payoff and lower total interest.
• Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) Mortgage product with an interest rate that changes periodically after an initial fixed period; initial rate is lower than fixed-rate mortgages. Options include 3/1, 5/1, 5/5, 7/1, and 10/1 ARM structures, targeted at Colorado borrowers comfortable with payment variability for a lower initial rate.
• FHA Loans Mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration, designed to help Colorado borrowers with lower down payments (3.5% minimum) and more flexible credit requirements; available in 15-, 20-, and 30-year terms.
• VA Loans Mortgage loans guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for eligible American veterans, often requiring no down payment with lower closing costs, targeted at Colorado veterans and military personnel seeking home purchase or refinance financing.
• Jumbo Loans Mortgage loans that exceed the conforming loan limits set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, providing financing options up to $3,000,000 for Colorado buyers of high-value properties.
• 203K Renovation Loans FHA-backed renovation loans that allow Colorado borrowers to finance the home purchase plus funds for necessary renovations in a single mortgage with minimal down payments, targeted at buyers of fixer-upper properties.
• USDA Loans Government-backed loans offered by the United States Department of Agriculture for homes outside city limits, featuring no down payment requirement, flexible credit underwriting, and 30-year fixed-rate terms, targeted at Colorado buyers purchasing eligible rural properties.
• Home Purchase Loans Financing solutions for Colorado home purchases, encompassing multiple loan programs (conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, 203K) tailored to different buyer goals and financial situations, accompanied by free pre-approval letters to support home shopping.
• Home Refinance Loans Refinancing solutions for Colorado homeowners to potentially lower interest rates, reduce monthly payments, change loan terms, or access home equity through rate-and-term or cash-out refinance options.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-week loan approval timeline
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Dixon GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dixon Group is a real estate team led by Daniel Dixon (CEO of First Step Home Loans). As an affiliated company, The Dixon Group provides integrated real estate services and generates mortgage referrals. The Dixon Group is ranked #1 Keller Williams team in Colorado with over $300 million in home sales.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NewRez (New Residential Mortgage): National mortgage lender with retail, wholesale, and consumer-direct channels offering conventional, government, and non-QM products. Comparable to First Step across product breadth and digital origination capabilities.
• Movement Mortgage: Retail mortgage lender with a strong local-branch model, broad product set (FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, jumbo), and community-focused brand. Highly comparable to First Step's local-service differentiation and integrated loan officer support model.
• Caliber Home Loans: Retail and wholesale mortgage lender offering a comprehensive product suite including FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, and renovation products. Comparable to First Step's full-service product breadth and retail branch distribution.
• United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM): Largest U.S. wholesale mortgage lender serving independent mortgage brokers. Direct competitor in the broker channel — many of First Step's loan officer peers use UWM as a wholesale partner, and UWM's investor portal and technology compete for broker mindshare.
• Better.com: Digital direct-to-consumer mortgage lender offering purchase and refinance products with an online application experience. Comparable to First Step's digital self-service model and consumer-direct GTM, though Better operates nationally and funds loans rather than brokering.
• Keller Mortgage (Keller Williams affiliated): Mortgage lender affiliated with Keller Williams Realty — directly comparable because First Step's parent/affiliated Dixon Group is the top KW team in Colorado. Both illustrate the real-estate-brokerage-embedded mortgage model First Step is built around.
• Homebridge Financial Services: Wholesale and retail mortgage lender with broad product offerings including FHA, VA, USDA, and renovation loans. Comparable to First Step as a wholesale partner option serving brokers and as a competing retail lender in Colorado.
• Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation: Retail mortgage lender with a decentralized branch model serving local markets including Colorado. Closely comparable to First Step's local-branch, relationship-driven approach and broad loan product suite.

Broad incumbents

• loanDepot: Large national retail and wholesale mortgage lender with a strong digital origination platform (Mello). Competes for the same Colorado purchase and refinance borrowers with similar product breadth (FHA, VA, Jumbo, conventional).
• Rocket Mortgage: Largest U.S. mortgage lender and digital origination platform. Comparable because it competes for the same purchase and refinance borrowers through a digital-first, consumer-direct funnel, but operates nationally with massive scale and balance-sheet lending capability.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/firststephl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firststephomeloans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Step Home Loans