“How much down payment do I need?”
That’s one of the first questions that comes to mind for many people thinking about buying a house.
The amount of down payment you need to buy a home in Minnesota will vary depending on the home loan or mortgage product you choose. For some mortgage products it’s as little as 3% of the purchase price (or total cost of your home.) For others, it may be higher. Whatever the amount, sometimes it feels like too much to come up with on your own.
Our down payment assistance programs mean you don’t have to do it by yourself. You may qualify for thousands of dollars to start or add to your down payment. With this boost, you can make owning your own home a reality. You don’t have to be a first-time buyer to qualify for most programs.
Minimum credit score requirements may apply.
Options for down payment assistance
NWHP offers several programs to help homebuyers with their down payment. They include:
Community Keys Plus (Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, Dakota, Anoka)
City of Shoreview Down Payment
City of Woodbury First Time Homeownership Program
Homeownership Opportunity Minneapolis (HOM) Down Payment Assistance
Bloomington Homebuyer Mortgage Assistance (HMA)
Near North/Willard-Hay Down Payment Assistance
As of 9/2/22, NeighborhoodLIFT down payment assistance for Minneapolis and St. Paul is no longer available, as all funds have been closed. This program helped 426 homeowners achieve their goal of homeownership!
Our homeownership advisors can help you identify other down payment resources that may be available to you, such as MHFA Start Up and MHFA Step Up and FirstHome for homebuyers in Ramsey County communities (excluding Saint Paul). You may also use Down Payment Resource to search for programs you may be eligible for.
And if all of this sounds confusing, that’s okay – we are here to help! Sign up for a pre-purchase appointment and one of our homeownership advisors will explain all of the terminology and go through the mortgage qualification and homebuying processes step-by-step so that you can feel confident in all of your homebuying decisions. If you want to own a home, meeting with a housing counselor is a great place to start!
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“The LIFT down payment funds meant we could find something that was safe. We move in soon!”
