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Good news for first-time home buyers and repeat buyers in North Carolina: The state offers a loan program that comes with down payment assistance.
The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, or NCHFA, has a program called NC Home Advantage Mortgage, which combines affordable, fixed-rate loans with down payment assistance. Even better: Borrowers may not have to pay back the down payment help if they own the home long enough.
National first-time home buyer programs
Conventional mortgage
Best for:
Low down payments, limited mortgage insurance premiums
What you need to know:
A conventional mortgage is a home loan that isn’t guaranteed or insured by the federal government. Conventional mortgages that conform to the requirements set forth by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac allow down payments as low as 3% for first-time buyers or lower-income home buyers. Unlike FHA loans, conventional loans allow borrowers to eventually cancel their mortgage insurance or avoid mortgage insurance altogether if they put at least 20% down.
VA loans
Best for:
Military, low down payments
What you need to know:
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs helps service members, veterans and surviving spouses buy homes. VA loans are especially generous, providing competitive interest rates, often requiring no down payment or mortgage insurance. Although there is no official minimum credit score, most VA-approved lenders require scores of at least 640.
FHA loans
Best for:
Low credit score, low down payments
What you need to know:
This is the go-to program for many first-time home buyers with lower credit scores. The Federal Housing Administration allows down payments as low as 3.5% for those with credit scores of 580 or higher. The FHA will insure loans for borrowers with scores as low as 500 but requires a 10% down payment for a score that low. Mortgage insurance is required for the life of an FHA loan and cannot be canceled.
USDA loans
Best for:
Low down payments, rural
What you need to know:
A USDA home loan is a zero-down-payment mortgage for eligible rural and suburban home buyers. USDA loans are issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the USDA Rural Development Guaranteed Housing Loan Program. There are income limitations, which vary by region. Applicants with credit scores of 640 or higher receive streamlined processing. Those with scores below that must meet more stringent underwriting standards.
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NCHFA highlights and eligibility requirements
If you live in North Carolina, NCHFA programs offer unique benefits that could help you buy a house sooner.
Highlights
Get up to 5% down payment assistance.
Choose among conventional, FHA, VA or USDA mortgages from NCHFA participating lenders.
Depending on loan type, buy a house, town house, condominium, duplex or new manufactured home.
Eligibility
Requires a minimum credit score of 640.
Borrower income and sales price must be within program limits.
Overall debt-to-income ratio has to be 43% or less.
Home buyer education may be required.
Mortgage insurance is required when a down payment is less than 20%.
NCHFA first-time home buyer loan programs
NC Home Advantage Mortgage
Best for:
Down payment assistance
What you need to know:
All loans under the NC Home Advantage program are 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. The minimum credit score to buy a manufactured home is 660; it’s 640 for other types of homes. Down payment assistance is available to qualified buyers who meet income guidelines, whether they are first-time or repeat buyers.
Borrowers can get down payment assistance of 3% or 5% of the sales price depending on the loan type. Assistance is provided in the form of a 0% interest loan with no monthly payments.
Depending on how long the borrower lives in the house, they may not have to pay back some or all of the down payment assistance loan. After 11 years — and each year after — 20% of the down payment assistance is forgiven. That means after 15 years, the down payment assistance won’t have to be repaid, even if the borrower sells the house or refinances the mortgage.
NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment
Best for:
Down payment assistance
What you need to know:
First-time home buyers and military veterans who qualify for an NC Home Advantage Mortgage may be eligible for $8,000 in down payment assistance under the NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment program. As with the NC Home Advantage Mortgage, the down payment assistance is a 0% interest loan with no monthly payments, and 20% is forgiven each year in years 11 through 15 of the loan. After 15 years, the assistance loan will be completely repaid
Community Partners Loan Pool
Best for:
Down payment assistance
What you need to know:
Through this state-funded program, local governments and member nonprofit housing agencies offer down payment assistance to qualified home buyers. Assistance is provided in the form of a 0% second mortgage for up to 20% of the sales price, up to a maximum of $30,000, when combined with the NC Home Advantage Mortgage. Buyers can get a down payment assistance loan of up to 10% of the purchase price when combined with a USDA Section 502 Direct Loan. The assistance is a deferred second mortgage, meaning there are no monthly payments and the loan is repaid when the home is sold or at the end of the loan term. Assistance through the Community Partners Loan Pool can be combined with other down payment assistance programs, including the NC Home Advantage Tax Credit.
Self-Help Loan Pool
Best for:
Low mortgage rates
What you need to know:
Through the Self-Help Loan Pool, low-income borrowers can get 0% interest rate mortgages to buy homes from Habitat for Humanity or other self-help homeownership organizations. The assistance comes in the form of a loan of up to $35,000 that the organization combines with its own financing to offer a mortgage with a term of 20 to 33 years. Buyers apply through the self-help housing organization.
Borrowers have to meet income and home price limits, which vary by county. They must take a homeownership education course and at least two hours of housing counseling. And the borrower must already be participating in a self-help housing program — for example, helping in the construction or rehab of the house.
NC Home Advantage Tax Credit
Best for:
Tax credits
What you need to know:
The NCHFA issues mortgage credit certificates to eligible first-time home buyers, veterans and buyers in targeted areas. Qualified mortgage borrowers can get a credit to offset their federal income tax bills, up to $2,000 each year they own the home.
Summary: 2021 NCHFA first-time home buyer programs
NC Home Advantage Mortgage for up to 5% down payment assistance for eligible first-time and repeat buyers.
NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment for $8,000 in down payment assistance to eligible first-time home buyers and military veterans.
Community Partners Loan Pool for a down payment assistance loan of up to 20% of the sales price.
Self-Help Loan Pool for a mortgage with a 0% interest rate.
Mortgage Credit Certificate for an annual federal tax credit of up to $2,000 for eligible first-time home buyers and military veterans.
Visit the NCHFA's information page for the NC Home Advantage Mortgage. This page has a link to a lender lookup tool and a way to find a real estate agent who has worked with program participants in the past.
If you're interested in the Community Partners Loan Pool, visit NCHFA's community partners page and select "Community Partners Loan Pool" without selecting a county (leave that pull-down set to "Any"). You'll see a list of partners and the counties they serve. If you're interested in the Self-Help Loan Pool, visit NCHFA's community partners page and select your county and the "Self-Help Loan Pool" program to see what's available.
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