Are you thinking of buying your first home in Georgia? Would you like a free gift of money to help you purchase that first home? If you answered yes to these two questions, there is great news for you. The state of Georgia provides free grant money for its residents and need help with the down payment and closing costs. This money comes in the form of state grants. This is free money that shouldn’t be passed up! The grant awards can be in the thousands of dollars. It will be well worth your time to educate yourself about the grant programs that the State of Georgia provides.
Georgia Grants
The agency in Georgia that provides assistance to home buyers is The Georgia Department of Community Affairs. There is just one such grant available, depending upon your income. The program is the Georgia Dream Homeownership Program. To find out the specific requirements, please visit the Georgia Department of Community Affairs website page specifically describing this beneficial grant program.
The Georgia Dream Homeownership First Home Buyer Grant Program is available to qualified borrowers statewide who meet certain income guidelines and who are purchasing homes within certain purchase price limits. In addition, borrowers must have modest assets and meet the flexible credit underwriting criteria for the loan program they have selected.
Here is the contact info for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs:
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
60 Executive Park South, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30329-2231
Phone: 404-679-4847
Federal Grants
Besides the state programs, there are federal funds and grants available in Georgia through the Homes and Communities program of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. On their website you’ll find complete grant information, application forms, description of available funds, as well as many other helpful tools.
Every potential buyer should investigate what they have to offer. You can visit the website by going here: US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Also, there is a website that has a complete list of all grant programs available through the United States Federal Government: Grants.gov. First time home buyers should plan to spend the required time investigating to determine how many individual grants they may qualify for. You can visit the website by going to Grants.gov and search here.
Other Grants
In addition to the grant programs described above, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides home buyer assistance and grants in every state. There are multiple grant programs designed specifically for people that meet certain requirements, such as grants for people with disabilities so they can continue to live independently at home. It is worth visiting HUD’s website to see what assistance is currently available. For your convenience, simply go to this website.
Here is the contact information for the HUD office in Georgia:
Atlanta Regional Office
Five Points Plaza Building
40 Marietta Street
Atlanta, GA 30303-2806
Phone: (404) 331-5136
Fax: (404) 730-2392
There are also these local programs:
Atlanta Consumer Mortgage Counseling Service Down Payment Assistance Program Grant (DPAP) (770) 455-1770
Charlton County Community Home Investment Program (CHIP) Down payment and Closing Cost Assistance (912) 496-2549
Clarke County Housing & Economic Leadership Partners Inc Direct Homeownership Assistance Program (706) 549-5200
Georgia Housing Yes Inc Helping Hands Program (GIFT) (678) 937-0432
Hall County Down Payment Assistance Program (DPAP) (770) 297-1800
Multi Counties United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta IDA Program (IDA) (404) 527-3549
Savannah Dream Maker 1 – City Wide (DM1) (912) 651-6926
Savannah Dream Maker 2 – Target Neighborhood (DM2) (912) 651-6926
Savannah Dream Maker 3 – Infill Housing Neighborhood Street and Block Revitalization Projects (DM3) (912) 651-6926
