Having a low income doesn’t automatically disqualify you from buying a home. In fact, there are many programs available to help you reach your homeownership goal. Depending on other important factors — like your credit score, existing debt, location and profession — you may qualify for a mortgage through one of the low-income home loans detailed below.
Low-income mortgages are loans tailored to address the issues that many low-income homebuyers face: debt, low credit and the difficulty of saving a large down payment. Typically, low-income home loan programs offer to ease this burden through some combination of:
In many cases, low-income home loan programs actually bar people with too high of an income from participating.
Right now, mortgage rates are high and the median home price sits at around $363,000. That may sound intimidating, but here are six loan programs for low-income buyers that could be your ticket to homeownership, even in today’s tough market.
| 3% down | Flexible credit qualification | Reduced mortgage insurance |
Best for: Low-income buyers struggling to come up with a down payment.
The HomeReady® mortgage program from Fannie Mae offers home loans for low-income prospective homebuyers with limited cash for a down payment. The guidelines are more flexible to make it easier for borrowers to qualify, and monthly mortgage insurance can be lower than with conventional loans. Buyers are also allowed to use gifts or grants to cover their down payment and closing costs.
Both first-time homebuyers and repeat buyers are eligible. However, if all borrowers on a loan are first-timers, at least one borrower will need to meet the homeownership education requirement. They can do so by completing an online course on the Framework website.
Eligibility requirements include:
| 3% down | Flexible credit qualification | Reduced mortgage insurance |
Best for: Low-income buyers with limited down payment funds and at least a 660 credit score.
Freddie Mac’s Home Possible® mortgage program is similar to HomeReady, but requires a slightly higher credit score. Otherwise, it offers similar benefits: discounted mortgage insurance, flexible guidelines that help more people qualify, a low down payment and the ability to use a gift toward the down payment. You can even use sweat equity to cover your entire down payment and closing costs.
Both first-time and repeat homebuyers can qualify. At least one borrower needs to complete a homeownership education course if all borrowers on a Home Possible loan are first-time buyers.
Eligibility requirements include:
| 3.5%-10% down | Flexible credit qualification | Reduced closing costs |
Best for: Buyers with a credit score under 620.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures FHA loans funded by approved lenders. Because they have looser requirements, FHA loans can be a good option for homebuyers who can’t reach the 620 credit threshold required by conventional loans or struggle to afford the closing costs on a loan.
You could qualify for an FHA loan with a credit score as low as 500, but you’ll be required to make a larger down payment. All borrowers are required to pay upfront and annual FHA mortgage insurance premiums, no matter their credit score or down payment amount. FHA borrowers putting the minimum 3.5% down will pay FHA mortgage insurance for the life of the loan — but the good news is that FHA annual insurance premiums recently got cheaper. The FHA reduced the amount by 0.30 percentage points this March, saving homeowners an average of $800 per year.
Eligibility requirements include:
See current FHA loan rates today.
| $100 down | Flexible credit qualification | Reduced mortgage insurance |
Best for: Public servants who are willing to live in a revitalization neighborhood for at least three years.
The Good Neighbor Next Door program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allows homebuyers in eligible public service careers the opportunity to purchase a HUD home at a 50% discount. You don’t have to use an FHA loan to buy your home under the program, but if you do, the minimum required down payment is only $100.
Eligibility requirements include:
| 0% down | Flexible credit qualification | No mortgage insurance and limited closing costs |
Best for: Veteran and active-duty homebuyers and their families.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a mortgage program to help veterans, service members and surviving spouses purchase homes. The VA is not a direct mortgage lender, but it does guarantee a portion of the loan; this allows borrowers the ability to receive more favorable loan terms, like a lower interest rate.
VA loans don’t have a minimum required down payment or mortgage insurance requirement. However, they do charge a VA funding fee, which varies depending on your down payment amount. The loans also limit the amount you can be charged for closing costs, and the seller may pay a portion of the closing costs. In addition, as of 2020, there are no VA loan limits for borrowers with full VA entitlement.
Eligibility requirements include:
See current VA loan rates today.
| 0% down | Flexible credit qualification | No mortgage insurance |
Best for: Low- to moderate-income buyers in rural areas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also insures low-income home loans provided by approved lenders. USDA loans cater to homebuyers with a modest income and don’t require a down payment.
Eligibility requirements include:
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Rent-to-own programs are an appealing option for low-income buyers, because you don’t have to save up a down payment and pay rent at the same time. But there are potential downsides, including fees and potentially paying above-market rent. Make sure you consult with a loan officer and have a plan in place to become mortgage-ready within your option period before committing to rent-to-own.
An FHA loan will typically be the easiest mortgage to qualify for because it offers the lowest credit score requirement — far lower than for a conventional loan — and requires only a 3.5% down payment. However, if you have special circumstances, do research tailored to your situation. VA and USDA loans, for example, are even easier to qualify for than an FHA loan, but are only available to certain buyers in certain circumstances.
It’s absolutely possible, because there is no minimum income required to get a mortgage. Remember, what matters is your DTI, not your income. If you’ve saved up for a down payment, you have a decent credit score and a reasonable DTI, you should be able to find a lender that will issue you a mortgage. Just don’t expect to buy any house, in any location, for any amount — you’ll be limited, like all homebuyers, by what you can afford. Our home affordability calculator can help you estimate the monthly payment and loan amounts that may work for you.
Instead of thinking in terms of the income needed, it may help to think in terms of the down payment and monthly payments required. To buy a $400,000 home with a 30-year conventional loan, you would likely need at least $12,000 to cover the down payment and the ability to afford a $2,600 monthly mortgage payment. Use a mortgage calculator to experiment with different loan values and see what your payments could look like.
