Common questionCommon question
Do you have to pay back down payment assistance?
Short answer
It depends on the program: 799 of the 2,700-plus down payment assistance programs Hey Prescott tracks are forgivable, meaning the balance is written off once the homeowner has stayed in the home for a set period. They are recorded in 51 states and territories.
By the numbers
forgivable programs
- States and territoriesStates and territories with one
- 51
- Open nationwideOpen nationwide
- 10
- Grants or forgivableGrants or forgivable loans
- 799
- Deferred second loansDeferred second loans
- 0
- Ask for a homebuyer classAsk for a homebuyer class
- 730
- No first-time ruleNo first-time requirement
- 189
Hey Prescott catalog of 2,000+ programs. Types are as each program record labels them.
What to know
The rest are typically second mortgages or deferred loans, repaid when the home is sold, refinanced, or stops being the owner’s primary residence. Forgiveness periods are set by the administering agency and commonly run five to ten years. Each program page lists that program’s own published terms.
Near you
See programs where you’re buying
Start with a ZIP code, then a few short questions to see every program that matches your answers. No SSN, no credit pull.
State by state
Forgivable programs, leaving out the 10 nationwide programs.51 states and territories have at least one. Each links to that state’s full directory. Counts leave out the 10 nationwide programs that count here, which apply in every state.
| State | Forgivable programs |
|---|---|
| Texas | 76 |
| Florida | 43 |
| New York | 43 |
| Pennsylvania | 43 |
| New Jersey | 33 |
| Ohio | 33 |
| North Carolina | 30 |
| South Carolina | 30 |
| Georgia | 28 |
| Virginia | 28 |
Questions, answered
Where do these numbers come from?
Hey Prescott maintains a catalog of 2,000+ 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.