They do this on purpose so new people get tripped up in the process and quit.

Welcome Alana, you will find a lot of helpful people on this platform.

Different people expect a different combination of risk/reward.  

Furnished finder has some stats on people looking for furnished spaces in Denver that may help. 

What the heck is the matter with people?

This is a great place to learn and to connect with people so take advantage of all the great resources.

I know many people who own real estate that are not citizens of the US.

Think about it, why do people do Airbnb........make more money, however they have higher vacancy rates, and more management required.  

I’ll be honest it’s not clear to me real estate is necessarily a better investment than say the stock market, certainly not a bad investment but not as hyped as some people make it, you need to decide how much owning your own home is worth to you & also how long you plan to be in the area, if you will be here for the foreseeable future, bite the bullet and buy, if your not sure where you will be in a few years, renting might make more sense.

Three Months ago, low to mid 6's were available.Rates are going to continually fluctuate but if you have a way to earn 10+% on your capital, the TIME you are not using it is going to cost you way more than the extra .5% per year will.You are walking over dollars to save pennies if you are waiting for the perfect rate, half of the people who held out on getting mid 6's were waiting for high 5's.