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 as of May 19 2022

What do first time home buyers programs offer?

Face it, the biggest hurdle to buying your first home is either poor credit, or the lack of down payment money. Cambria Mortgage partners with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) to provide down payment assistance loans to Minnesota first time home buyers. Down payment assistance programs generally assist you by offering small loans to cover part of your required down payment. So they help with down payment, but can not help if you have bad credit. These programs generally are not free money, gifts, or grants. They are loans that need to be paid back.

Who is eligible for a Minnesota Housing First Time Home Buyer programs?

First, understand you need to qualify for the basic underlying loan itself. There are income, and family size requirements. The loan is usually an FHA loan, but can also be standard conventional loans, USDA Rural Housing Loans, or even a VA loan. Most of these programs require a down payment, and all loans have closing costs that need to be paid to buy a home. Adding all this up, can make it hard to save all the needed money to buy a home.

Loan Qualifier

We’re here to make the first time home buyer process a whole lot easier, with tools and expertise that will help guide you along the way, starting with our FREE First Time Home Buyer Qualifier.

The Step Up Program  is for those who currently own, or have owned a home in the past three years.

Down Payment Assistance loans are available under two different options and vary based on household income, family size, first time home buyer (Start Up Program), or your owned before, or currently own a home (Step Up Program).

 Contact a Cambria Mortgage Loan Officer at (651) 552-3681, or via Live Chat for assistance in determining your qualifications.

Basic Down Payment Assistance Qualification Criteria:

• Are a first time homebuyer, meaning you have not owned a home in the past three years? ( Start Up program )
• Are a move up buyers, which means you HAVE owned a home in the past ( Step Up program )
• Have filed Federal income tax return copies for the last three years
• Have a middle credit score of at least 640 for a loan, but requirement can be higher depending on underlaying loan type (FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional)
• Meet first time home buyer income and house price limits (listed above)

Two Types of Assistance Loans

1. Deferred Repaying
2. Immediate Repayment

Income limits, Start Up or Step Up program, and other items will determine while program you qualify for.

The Deferred Payment Assistance Loan

Under this assistance program, there are no payments due. Loan term equal to first mortgage term with 0% interest, repaid when property is sold, refinanced, or is no longer primary residence. No interest is added. 

• Maximum Assistance amount $12,500 (as of 4/1/2022)
• For first-time home buyers only (Start Up). NOT available with Step Up program,
• Can be used for down payment and or closing cost assistance up to the current program limit.
• 0% interest for length of loan
• No payments due today.
• Deferred Payment Loan Plus – Slightly higher loan amounts for borrowers who meet additional targeting criteria. Sole head of household with at least one dependent residing in home, household of four or more people, disabled household member, housing only debt ratio higher than 28% of income.
• Repaid when property is sold, refinanced, first mortgage is paid off, or is no longer primary residence
• Minimum 640 credit score, but requirement can be higher depending on underlying loan type (FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional)
• Home buyer education required. Attend Home Stretch for in-person training, or Framework for online training.

You must fall under the following household income limits:

How to APPLY for your First Time Home Buyer Loan and Down Payment Assistance in MN

Applying is easy. Simply call our first time home buyer Loan Expert as (651) 552-3681, or APPLY ONLINE 24/7.

By completing an application, you are not obligating yourself to anything. Rather you are simply giving us all the information needed to determine what programs you qualify for, how much house can you buy, what would the payments look like, and do you qualify for down payment assistance.

If it all looks good, we can move to the next step, which is basically you submitting all your standard supporting documents, like pay stubs, W2's, bank statement, and Tax returns

More Information on first time home buyer programs and down payment assistance in MN

Click the following links for program brochures and more information on:

• Step Up Program Brochure – Move up buyers
• Start Up Program Brochure – First Time Buyers
• The Complete Home Buyers Guide to Financing Your Home
• Understanding Your FICO score
• Knowing and Understanding Your Credit
• #1 Mistake People Make When Buying A Home

The 11-county Twin Cities Area is defined as: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington and Wright Counties.

Cambria Mortgage is a proud partner with Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.

While we strive to keep these items up to date, income limits and other program requirements do change. Always contact your Cambria Mortgage Loan officer for the most current information.