Do you have to be a first-time buyer to get down payment assistance?
No — 757 of the 2,700-plus programs in the Hey Prescott catalog do not require first-time homebuyer status.
Many programs that do require it use the federal definition, which counts anyone who has not owned a principal residence in the previous three years. Some programs waive the requirement in designated target areas, or for veterans. First-time status is one eligibility rule among several, alongside income limits, purchase price caps and occupancy requirements.
State by state
49 states and territories have at least one. Each links to that state's full directory.
| State | Programs with no first-time requirement |
|---|---|
| California | 109 |
| North Carolina | 41 |
| Maryland | 36 |
| Oklahoma | 31 |
| Wisconsin | 30 |
| Texas | 25 |
| Idaho | 23 |
| Ohio | 22 |
| Colorado | 21 |
| Illinois | 20 |
| Minnesota | 20 |
| Louisiana | 19 |
| Georgia | 18 |
| South Carolina | 18 |
| Kentucky | 16 |
| Montana | 16 |
| Alabama | 14 |
| District of Columbia | 14 |
| Iowa | 14 |
| Nebraska | 14 |
| Pennsylvania | 14 |
| Wyoming | 14 |
| Alaska | 13 |
| Indiana | 13 |
| Nevada | 13 |
| Tennessee | 13 |
| New Hampshire | 12 |
| New Jersey | 12 |
| Utah | 11 |
| Arizona | 10 |
| Florida | 10 |
| Missouri | 10 |
| Delaware | 9 |
| West Virginia | 9 |
| Michigan | 8 |
| New Mexico | 8 |
| Arkansas | 7 |
| Virginia | 7 |
| Connecticut | 6 |
| North Dakota | 6 |
| Kansas | 5 |
| Mississippi | 5 |
| Washington | 5 |
| South Dakota | 4 |
| Maine | 3 |
| Rhode Island | 3 |
| Vermont | 3 |
| New York | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
Questions, answered
Do you have to be a first-time buyer to get down payment assistance?
No — 757 of the 2,700-plus programs in the Hey Prescott catalog do not require first-time homebuyer status. Many programs that do require it use the federal definition, which counts anyone who has not owned a principal residence in the previous three years. Some programs waive the requirement in designated target areas, or for veterans. First-time status is one eligibility rule among several, alongside income limits, purchase price caps and occupancy requirements.
Where do these numbers come from?
Hey Prescott maintains a catalog of active down payment assistance programs across all 50 states and DC, each verified against the administering agency's own published material and carrying the date it was last checked. The counts on this page are drawn from that catalog and refresh as it does.
Is Hey Prescott a lender?
No. Hey Prescott is an educational directory of down payment assistance programs. We list programs and link to official sources; we do not make loans or give individualized lending advice.
More questions
- Do you have to pay back down payment assistance?
- Can you combine down payment assistance programs?
- Do you need a homebuyer education class for down payment assistance?
- What credit score do you need for down payment assistance?
- Can you use down payment assistance on a manufactured home?
- Can you use down payment assistance on new construction?
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