Your homebuying plan
Tell us where you are buying and a little about your household. We find the largest down payment program you match, add the buyer rebate where it is legal, and show how to get each piece.
Where are you buying?
Pick the county. A ZIP code can cover more than one county, so we ask for the county.
How many people live in the household?
Count everyone who will live in the home, including you.
Total before taxes, for everyone who will be on the loan.
Are you a first-time buyer?
Most programs mean you have not owned a home in the past three years. Rules differ, so we check each program’s own.
Are you a veteran or on active duty?
A few programs are only for people who served.
What you expect to pay, from $50,000 to $1,500,000.
For the down payment and closing costs. Leave it at zero if you are not sure.
Your number shows up here
Answer the questions and see the largest down payment program you match, plus how to get it.
How your plan is worked out
- Your county’s data. Income limits are HUD’s FY2026 figures. Closing costs come from our county closing cost pages (transfer tax, title insurance and recording fees). Programs are read from each state housing agency’s own pages, listed on our first-time buyer pages.
- The help total is one program, never a stack. We take the largest single down payment program you match: its county, income limit, first-time and veteran rules, and home price limit all have to fit your answers. Programs are not added together, because many cannot be combined.
- Plus the buyer rebate where it is legal. In states that allow it, an agent can return part of the commission to you at closing. We use about 2% of the price, a typical figure that depends on your agent. See the rebate rules by state.
- How to get it. Each piece of the total has its own steps, taken from the program’s own rules. Under “See the details” you will also find about what you would need to close: the down payment (3% conventional minimum unless a program sets its own) plus the closing costs we have data for. These are estimates. Lender fees, the appraisal and prepaid taxes and insurance are not included.
- Loans are help, not free money. Most down payment help is a loan, often deferred or forgivable over time. Each result says which kind it is.
- What we leave out. If a program’s rules cannot be checked against your answers, we do not count it. It is listed under “May also qualify, check the rules” with a link to the program.
General information, not lending advice. Confirm the details with the agency or a lender before you plan around any number here.