Are you thinking of buying your first home in Maine? 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 Maine provides free grant money for its residents who are first time home buyers 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 Maine provides.
Maine Grants
The agency in Maine that provides grants and other assistance to home buyers is The Maine State Housing Authority. There is just one first time home buyer grant available: Maine Assit. You can receive up to $5,000 to help with the down payment and closing costs. To find out more about Maine Assist, please visit the Maine State Housing Authority website describing their programs. You can find it here.
MaineHousing provides low fixed rate mortgages and other assistance to help make homeownership affordable for more Maine people. No point and low point options are available. There are options with little or no down payment required, though if you still need help with the cash needed for closing, they also offer down payment and closing cost assistance. MaineHousing mortgages even come with payment protection for unemployment.
First Home Program
The First Home Program provides low fixed rate mortgages to people who have not owned homes in the last three years. No point and low point options are available. Although income limits apply, most Maine households are income-eligible for the program. First Home mortgages also offer payment protection for eligible borrowers who lose their jobs.
Operation New Home
Operation New Home provides low fixed rate mortgages to veterans and active duty military personnel. No point and low point options are available. Although income limits apply, most Maine households are income-eligible for the program. People who are already homeowners are eligible, but they must be purchasing a home that will be used as their primary residence.
The contact information for the Maine State Housing Authority is:
Maine State Housing Authority
353 Water Street
Augusta Maine 04330
Phone: (207) 626-4600
Toll Free: (800) 452-4668
TTY: (800) 452-4603
Fax: (207) 626-4678
Federal Grants
Besides the state programs, there are federal funds and grants available to home buyers in Maine 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 funding programs, as well as many other helpful tools.
Every potential home 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 searching for more grants.
Other Grants in Maine
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 Maine:
Bangor Field Office
One Merchants Plaza
Suite 601
Bangor, ME 04401-8302
Phone: (207) 945-0467
Fax: (207) 945-0533
There are also these local programs:
Maine Coastal Enterprises Inc Individual Development Account Program (IDA) (207) 882-7552
Maine Multi Counties Washington Hancock Community Agency Set Aside Funds Program (SAP) (207) 546-7544
York County Community Action Corporation Home Ownership Program (207) 324-5762
