First-time buyer & down-payment assistance.

First-time homebuyer programs pair a standard mortgage — conventional, FHA, VA or USDA — with help toward the down payment and closing costs. That help can come as a grant, a second loan that is forgiven over time, or a deferred loan repaid when you sell or refinance. Programs are offered through state housing finance agencies and through county and city housing programs, each with its own eligibility rules.

Buyers who haven't owned a home in the last few years (which is how most programs define "first-time"), buyers within the program's income limits, and — under many state programs — eligible community workforce buyers such as teachers, healthcare workers, first responders and veterans. Some programs are open to repeat buyers in targeted areas.

Completion of an approved homebuyer education course; income within the program limit for the county; a credit history that meets the underlying loan's standards; the property within any price limit the program sets; and a lender approved to offer the program.

Assistance programs change with funding, sometimes mid-year. We track what's open and what's paused so you don't build a plan around a program that has run out of money. The best first step is a conversation, not a form.