Get Help Buying a Home

Reading out of order?
Don’t miss the other steps in the process! Jump back to How Much Can You Afford or keep reading.

Step 4: Get help buying a home

You’re not alone when buying a home. Many states and cities have programs that help people cover the cost of their homes.

This down payment assistance tool from the National Fair Housing Alliance is an easy way to see if you might qualify for assistance. Enter where you’re planning to buy and answer some basic questions, and the tool will give you a list of local programs and loans that might help you buy a home. And this page lets you search all available programs in your state.

You can also talk to a certified housing counselor at a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved housing counseling agency in your area. Certified housing counselors will work with you to determine your readiness to buy a home and help you find financial assistance that might be available to you. This free online course from Fannie Mae can also help you better understand buying a home.

And it’s critical that you know what rights you have as a homebuyer. The Fair Housing Act makes some discrimination and predatory lending practices illegal. You can use this resource and this brochure to understand your rights throughout the homebuying process.