Down-payment assistance finder for Southern California
State, county and city first-time buyer programs for Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Income limits and loan amounts below are copied from official pages we loaded, and they can change or sell out. This is a directory, not an approval, a loan offer or legal advice.
Use county and city to hide programs that do not cover that area. If you enter an income, programs with a published cap below that income are hidden. Caps differ by household size and program; always read the official table. Proposition 37 is listed so you do not mistake it for an open program.
No listed program matches those filters. Try a wider county or city, or start with CalHFA.
stateCalifornia Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA)
CalHFA MyHome Assistance Program
Where: Statewide, including all five Southern California counties in this guide
A deferred-payment junior loan that can help with the down payment and/or closing costs when used with a CalHFA first mortgage. On government (FHA) first loans the assistance is up to the lesser of 3.5% of the purchase price or appraised value; on conventional first loans it is up to the lesser of 3%. You must be a first-time homebuyer, occupy the home as your primary residence, complete required homebuyer education, and meet CalHFA income limits. CalHFA does not lend directly; you apply through an approved loan officer.
CalHFA published one income limit per county, effective June 30, 2026, for its first mortgages and subordinate mortgages (this chart excludes the Dream For All shared-appreciation loan): Los Angeles County $214,000; Orange County $274,000; Riverside County $210,000; San Bernardino County $210,000; San Diego County $259,000. Confirm the current chart before you apply.
CalHFA offers first-mortgage programs for eligible first-time buyers, often paired with MyHome. Program names, rates and overlays change. Start with the official loan-program list and an approved loan officer rather than a website form.
The same official CalHFA county income limits that apply to MyHome generally apply to these first mortgages. See the official chart (effective June 30, 2026).
Proposition 37 new-home second mortgage (not open yet)
Where: Statewide, new construction only, once the program opens
Voters passed Proposition 37 in November 2026. It authorizes CalHFA to issue revenue bonds for a second mortgage of up to 17% of the price of a newly built home, with the buyer putting in at least 3% of their own money. The program is not open yet. CalHFA will set the interest rate, term, credit and debt-to-income rules. Any rate or payment examples you may see, including in our mortgage brief, are ASSUMPTIONS, not CalHFA's published terms. Do not count on this money being available today, and do not assume it lowers your monthly payment.
Income and price caps are described in the measure; final program rules will come from CalHFA. Check the official site before you plan around it.
Where: Unincorporated Orange County and these cities only: Brea, Cypress, Dana Point, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Los Alamitos, Placentia, San Juan Capistrano, Seal Beach, Stanton, Villa Park and Yorba Linda. Larger cities such as Anaheim, Irvine, Santa Ana and Huntington Beach are not on this eligible-area list.
A silent (deferred-payment) down-payment assistance loan for low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers. The official program page says up to $120,000 for low-income households (80% of area median income) and up to $80,000 for moderate-income households (120% of AMI). The loan is 3% simple interest, deferred, with a 30-year term. Buyers must occupy the home, put at least 1% down, stay within a purchase-price cap of 85% of the Orange County median sales price for all homes, and complete a homebuyer education workshop and housing counseling.
Official income limits on the county page (State HCD figures as of June 2026). For a four-person household the low-income (80% AMI) cap is $148,850 and the moderate-income (120% AMI) cap is $166,300. The $120,000 assistance tier is for the low-income group; the $80,000 tier is for the moderate-income group. Limits are updated periodically.
City of Los Angeles Low Income Purchase Assistance (LIPA)
Where: City of Los Angeles only (not the rest of the county)
A zero-interest, deferred subordinate loan of up to $161,000 for down payment, closing costs and acquisition for first-time, low-income buyers purchasing a one-unit home in the City of Los Angeles. Buyers must have at least a 660 middle FICO score, complete an eight-hour homebuyer education class and counseling, contribute at least 1% of the price from their own funds, and occupy the home. The official maximum purchase price on the program page is $956,465. Funds are limited and LAHD uses a loan-reservation process. Apply through an LAHD participating lender, or call (213) 808-8800.
2026 maximum annual income limits on the official LIPA page, up to 80% of AMI. For a four-person household the cap is $133,250. Confirm the current table before you apply.
City of Los Angeles Moderate Income Purchase Assistance (MIPA)
Where: City of Los Angeles only
A zero-interest, deferred subordinate loan of up to $115,000 for down payment, closing costs and acquisition for first-time, moderate-income buyers in the City of Los Angeles. Other core rules match LIPA, including the 660 middle FICO minimum, eight-hour education and counseling, a 1% minimum contribution from the buyer's own funds, and the official $956,465 purchase-price cap. Apply through an LAHD participating lender.
Official 2026 MIPA ranges are above the LIPA cap and up to the moderate-income maximum. For a four-person household the official range is $133,251–$183,250. The finder uses the top of each official range when you enter an income.
countyLos Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA)
LACDA Home Ownership Program (HOP80 and HOP150)
Where: Unincorporated Los Angeles County and LACDA's published list of participating cities. The City of Los Angeles is not on that participating-cities list (use LAHD instead). Some cities are listed as HOP80 only.
A second mortgage for first-time homebuyers of up to $100,000, or 20% of the purchase price, whichever is less, for down payment and/or closing costs. Official terms: 0% interest, deferred repayment and shared equity, due when the home is sold, title transfers, or it is no longer owner-occupied. Buyers must be income-eligible, not have owned a home in the past three years, occupy the home, invest at least 1% of the down payment from their own funds (with official caps on total cash into escrow), and complete an eight-hour HUD-approved homebuyer education seminar. Official maximum purchase prices are $700,000 (HOP80) and $850,000 (HOP150). Only a HOP participating lender can submit an application.
Official L.A. County AMI guidelines on the program page, effective August 24, 2026. HOP80 uses the 80% AMI column (four-person $133,250) and HOP150 uses the 150% AMI column (four-person $162,150). The finder uses the higher (HOP150) cap when you enter an income; check both columns on the official table.
City of Riverside down-payment assistance and homeownership education
Where: City of Riverside
The City of Riverside publishes a homeownership page for down-payment assistance and homeownership education. Amounts, income limits and whether funds are open can change. Use the official page for current terms and how to apply rather than a third-party summary.
Confirm current income limits and assistance amounts on the official city page; this finder does not invent figures that were not stated in the text we could read.
Where: Homes purchased in Riverside or San Bernardino County
A regional, not county-run, deferred down-payment assistance loan. The official NPHS program page says up to $40,000 is available, deferred up to 30 years, at 0% interest, with no payments required during the deferral, on a first-come, first-served basis. It is aimed at first-time buyers (no home owned in the last three years). Official criteria also describe eligibility at or below 80% of AMI, with a 120% AMI path for purchases in certain census tracts. HUD-approved homebuyer education and counseling are required. San Bernardino County's official home-ownership page states that the county itself no longer administers a down-payment assistance program and points buyers to outside agencies, including NPHS, and to CalHFA.
Income is tied to area median income on the official page (80% AMI, or 120% AMI in described tracts). Confirm current AMI tables and funding with NPHS; this finder does not display a household-size table we could not verify on that page.
San Diego Housing Commission first-time homebuyer programs
Where: City of San Diego (see official page for any broader coverage)
SDHC publishes first-time homebuyer programs, participating lenders, and area median income tables. Terms, open rounds and limits change. Start with the official first-time homebuyer page and an SDHC participating lender. The same page also points to county and other city programs in the region.
See SDHC's official Area Median Income chart for current household-size limits. This finder links that chart rather than restating a table we could not fully lift from the landing page.
countyCounty of San Diego Housing and Community Development Services
County of San Diego down payment and closing cost assistance
Where: See the official county page for areas served and any city-by-city limits
The County of San Diego publishes down payment and closing cost assistance for homebuyers, including a moderate-income down-payment assistance path flagged as new on the official site. Amounts, income limits and open status are set by the county. Use the official assistance page for how to apply.
Confirm current income limits and amounts on the official county page.
The city's official homeowners and homebuyers page describes a deferred-payment first-time homebuyer loan of up to 22% of the purchase price, with a maximum loan of $120,000, to purchase a single-family home, townhome or condominium. Other city housing loans on the same page (including smaller repair loans) are separate programs. Confirm current terms, income rules and whether funds are open on the official page.
The official page discusses income-related rate or priority rules. Confirm the current income table with the city before you apply.
City of El Cajon homebuyer assistance (American Dream Program)
Where: City of El Cajon
The city publishes homebuyer assistance programs, including an American Dream Program flyer, and marked the program as active on the official page we loaded. Assistance amounts and income limits belong on that page and the flyer, not in a restated guess. Contact the housing division through the official page to apply.
Use the official program page and flyer for current income limits and loan amounts.
We only list programs whose official apply or information page loaded when we checked it. Some cities have no city-run first-time buyer program we could verify; in that case start with CalHFA and any county program that includes the city. Regional nonprofit loans are labeled as not county-run. Funds are limited, overlays apply, and a participating lender often has to submit the file. Confirm every figure with the administering agency before you act.