Buying a home can feel out of reach—but there are programs designed to help. From down payment assistance to closing cost support and flexible financing, these resources can make it easier to take the first step toward homeownership.
- Buy the Block builds and sells high-quality, single-family homes in underinvested Rochester neighborhoods at affordable prices. Homes are sold to first-time buyers who spend no more than 30% of their income on housing Learn more
- FAMboost™ provides down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers in the Greater Rochester region. Available in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, and Wayne counties. To apply, you must be referred by a FAMboost™ Referral Agent, a real estate professional working with first-time homebuyers in Greater Rochester. Learn more
- Habitat for Humanity Homebuyer Program builds and rehabilitates homes sold to first-time buyers at no more than 30% of their total household income. Learn more
- Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) offers down payment and closing cost assistance to income-eligible first-time homebuyers in the city of Rochester. Grants of up to $8,000 available for closing costs. Learn more
- Homebuyer Dream Program offers grants of up to $30,000 for down payments and closing costs, available through local lenders including ESL Federal Credit Union, Family First, and Finger Lakes Federal Credit Union. Funding is first-come, first-served. Learn more
- HomeReady Mortgage is a flexible mortgage option from Fannie Mae that lowers barriers for low-income borrowers, including counting on-time rent payments toward loan eligibility. Learn more
- HOME Rochester rehabilitates vacant homes across Rochester and Monroe County for sale to low- and moderate-income first-time buyers. Learn more
- Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Homeownership Program helps first-time homebuyers obtain and maintain a home by applying monthly voucher payments toward qualified homeownership expenses. Learn more here.
- The State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) offers low-interest mortgage loans and programs to help first-time homebuyers across New York access affordable homeownership. Learn more
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development covers the purchase, rehabilitation, improvement, or new construction of a home in eligible rural areas. Open to all buyers, not just first-time homeowners. Learn more
