Increase your buying power with help most buyers never find.
Homebuyer Wallet tracks 2,000+ Community Home Investment Programs (CHIPs) across America: grants, forgivable loans and special mortgages that put more money behind your purchase. Pair them with creative financing like seller credits and rate buydowns and your budget goes further. Pick a state to see what's available, then find out how much buying power you can add.
Four things we learned reviewing every program by hand
Based on the 2,000+ Community Home Investment Programs (CHIPs) in the Homebuyer Wallet database, each reviewed by our team against the provider's own materials.
Most help is hyper-local
7 in 10 in-state programs cover a single city, county or region. A statewide search finds the housing finance agency and misses the rest.
Free money is common
43% of all programs are grants or forgivable loans. Stay in the home for the required period and you owe nothing.
Lenders run the cross-state programs
86% of multi-state programs come from banks, credit unions and Federal Home Loan Banks, usually tied to that lender's mortgage. Your choice of loan officer decides whether you get them.
Funding opens and closes constantly
More than 100 programs are currently out of funds, waitlisted or closed to applications, led by California (24), Minnesota (15) and Florida (14). Status checks are part of every review.
How the help arrives · share of all programs
Who runs in-state programs · share of in-state programs
Add buying power in any state
64 programs are available nationwide: federal loan programs, national lenders and nonprofits. 29 are grants or forgivable loans, and 18 are mortgages with no or very low down payment. Most are layered on top of the state and local help below.
VA-backed Purchase Loan
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: 100% financing with no private mortgage insurance for eligible veterans and service members.
Check eligibilityUSDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan
USDA Rural Development: no down payment, 30-year fixed rate, for households up to 115% of median income.
Check eligibilityHUD Good Neighbor Next Door
Eligible teachers, police, firefighters and EMTs buy HUD homes at half the list price. The discount is a silent second you never repay if you stay the required period.
Check eligibilityBank of America Down Payment Grant
3% of the price up to $10,000 toward your down payment, with a Bank of America mortgage. No repayment.
Check eligibilityProgressive UpPayment Program
A down payment grant of up to $13,500 from Progressive Insurance, within program income limits.
Check eligibilityChenoa Fund Down Payment Assistance
3.5% to 5% of the price with an FHA loan and no income limits, as a repayable or forgivable second.
Check eligibilityPNC Bank Grant
Up to $7,500 toward down payment and closing costs for buyers who take their first mortgage with PNC. No repayment.
Check eligibilityHUD Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee
A mortgage with a 100% federal guarantee for Native American buyers, which lets lenders offer favorable terms.
Check eligibilityPrograms that cross state lines
Offered by national and regional lenders in many states at once. Most require you to take your first mortgage from the same lender, and most limit eligibility by income or by census tract.
Wells Fargo Homebuyer Access Grant
A down payment grant for buyers in eligible communities who finance with Wells Fargo. No repayment.
Check eligibilityFairway HOPER’s Incentive Program
Pairs an FHA mortgage with a cash incentive of up to $13,000 or 3.5% of the price, plus solar financing.
Check eligibilityTD Bank TD Home Access Mortgage
A lender credit on purchase loans, with up to $2,000 cash back toward down payment and closing costs.
Check eligibilityWells Fargo Dream. Plan. Home.
A closing cost grant you do not repay, for eligible Wells Fargo mortgage customers.
Check eligibilityFHLBank Des Moines Home$tart
Down payment and closing cost help through member banks, forgiven over five years.
Check eligibilityKeyBank Key Home Credit
A $5,000 credit at closing for eligible KeyBank mortgage borrowers.
Check eligibilityFHLBank Boston Lift Up Homeownership
Up to $50,000 for first-time buyers with a $1,000 contribution, forgivable after five years.
Check eligibilityDelta Community CU 100% Financing
A no-down-payment mortgage; you cover closing costs and move in.
Check eligibilitySome states are more generous than others
Most likely to be free money
Share of programs that are grants or forgivable loans.
Most help tied to your job
Programs for teachers, first responders, healthcare workers and public employees.
Most programs to choose from
Active programs in the state, not counting national options.
See what's available where you want to buy
Rather skip the browsing? The Wallet Wizard finds the programs that add buying power at the address you want.
Check my eligibilityIncrease your buying power in three steps
- 1Answer a few questions in the Wallet WizardWhere you want to buy, household size, income range, job and military status.
- 2Get matched against every program we trackIncome limits, price caps, location rules and repayment terms, checked for you.
- 3Work with a pro who knows creative financingAgents and loan officers on Homebuyer Wallet see the same matches you do, and can layer in seller credits, lender credits and rate buydowns.
Every program on these pages, matched to your buyer in seconds
Homebuyer Wallet gives professionals the full program record: income tables, price caps, approved lenders, provider contacts and application steps. Close the deals that stall on cash to close.
Questions buyers ask
What is a homebuyer assistance program?
Money or financing help that lowers what you need at closing or what you pay each month. It comes as grants, forgivable loans, deferred or repayable second loans, special mortgages with lower rates or no down payment, and programs that sell homes below market. Homebuyer Wallet calls these Community Home Investment Programs, or CHIPs.
How do these programs increase my buying power?
Assistance covers part of your down payment or closing costs, or lowers your rate, so less of your own cash goes in upfront. The same savings and income can then support a higher purchase price or a lower monthly payment. Many buyers stack a statewide program with a local one to stretch further.
What is creative financing?
Any way of closing the gap between what you have and what the home costs, beyond a standard loan and your own savings. That includes assistance programs, seller credits toward your closing costs, lender credits, rate buydowns and special mortgages. Homebuyer Wallet helps you and your agent or loan officer combine them.
Do I have to be a first-time homebuyer?
Often not. Many programs define a first-time buyer as anyone who has not owned a home in the past three years, and some are open to repeat buyers outright. Each state page shows how many programs explicitly require first-time status.
Can I combine more than one program?
Sometimes. Many city and county programs are built to layer on top of a state housing finance agency loan; others prohibit stacking. Your lender confirms what combines with your first mortgage.
Where does this data come from?
The Homebuyer Wallet CHIPs database. Our team reviews each program against the provider's own website and documents and re-checks funding status on a rolling basis. Terms change often: always confirm with the provider or a participating lender before you rely on a program.