Every affordability calculator ignores assistance programs — and the program databases can't do the math. This one does both: your real affordability, your state's program match, and a step-by-step action plan. In 30 seconds, no email required.
Your closing sheet will carry roughly seven negotiable fees. Buyers who don't know their names pay all of them — usually $3,000+ stacked on top of everything you just calculated. The Quick-Start Rate & Fee Playbook hands you the 6-question lender script, all 7 fees by name, and the word-for-word phrases that get them reduced or waived. You did the math above. This is how you keep it.
Generated from your numbers above. Recalculate any time — the plan updates instantly.
Steps 1–8 get you to the closing table. What happens at the table decides whether you keep your assistance money — or quietly hand it back in fees. The Homebuyer's Edge is the script for that room.
Step-by-step video: what each input means, how to read your decision report, and what to do with your action plan.
Every program links directly to the official state housing finance agency — not a lead-gen page. Verify current terms there before applying.
Data sources: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (rate benchmark) and the official state housing finance agency pages linked under each program. Last reviewed: July 2026.
Every answer sourced from official program data.
Down payment assistance (DPA) is money — a grant, forgivable loan, or low-interest second loan — that helps cover your down payment and/or closing costs. As of Q1 2026 there are 2,679 such programs nationwide, 77% of them active and funded (source: Down Payment Resource's Q1 2026 quarterly program count), run by state housing finance agencies, cities, counties, and some employers.
It varies enormously by state and program — from a few thousand dollars up to $100,000 in some city-specific programs (e.g. NYC HomeFirst). Most state programs fall in the $7,500–$15,000 range or 3–5% of the loan amount. See your state's matched program above.
Not always. Many programs are for first-time buyers, but a large share are open to repeat buyers who haven't owned a home in the past three years, or to specific groups (teachers, veterans, healthcare workers).
Many state programs set a 620 minimum, paired with income limits based on area median income. Requirements are set by each agency and vary — check the official program page linked above.
Depends on the program. Some are outright grants. Many are deferred, forgivable second loans (forgiven after living in the home a set number of years). Others are low- or zero-interest loans repaid on sale or refinance.
Usually yes — DPA is designed to pair with a first mortgage. FHA loans need 3.5% down, VA and USDA allow 0% down, and DPA can often cover part or all of that plus closing costs, subject to lender and program rules.