Federal Loan Programs
Hundreds of millions of dollars in down payment help is out there. We help you find it!
The federal government offers many funds and grants to first time home buyers within Minnesota through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Every potential first time home buyer should investigate what they have to offer. Because loan and grant programs are constantly beginning, changing, and ending, they can’t all be listed here, but we have listed a few below to get you started.
FHA Loans
FHA loan programs offer lower down payments, low closing costs and easy credit qualifying which makes it a good option for first-time home buyers.
USDA Rural Development Programs
Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans
Offered through the US Department of Agriculture. Also known as the Section 502 Direct Loan Program, this program assists low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to increase an applicant’s repayment ability. Payment assistance is a type of subsidy that reduces the mortgage payment for a short time. The amount of assistance is determined by the adjusted family income. At a minimum, applicants interested in obtaining a direct loan must have an adjusted income that is at or below the applicable low-income limit for the area where they wish to buy a house and they must demonstrate a willingness and ability to repay debt.
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program
This program assists approved lenders in providing low- and moderate-income households the opportunity to own adequate, modest, decent, safe and sanitary dwellings as their primary residence in eligible rural areas. Eligible applicants may build, rehabilitate, improve or relocate a dwelling in an eligible rural area. The program provides a 90% loan note guarantee to approved lenders in order to reduce the risk of extending 100% loans to eligible rural home buyers.
Good Neighbor Next Door
Law enforcement officers, pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians can contribute to community revitalization while becoming homeowners through HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program. HUD offers a substantial incentive in the form of a discount of 50% from the list price of the home. In return you must commit to live in the property for 36 months as your sole residence.
Homeownership Vouchers
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) homeownership program allows families that are assisted under the HCV program to use their voucher to buy a home and receive monthly assistance in meeting homeownership expenses. While the HCV homeownership regulations contemplate a downpayment grant option (where the PHA offers a single downpayment assistance grant to the family instead of a monthly homeownership subsidy), funding has not been appropriated for this purpose and this regulatory provision has never been implemented.
The HCV homeownership program is available only to families that have been admitted to the HCV program and it is not offered by every Public Housing Agency (PHA). To find a PHA in your area that may administer an HCV homeownership program, you may use the homeownership enrollments report below. For contact information of all PHAs by State, not only PHAs administering an HCV homeownership program, click here.