70% of U.S. adults are unfamiliar with down-payment assistance programs for middle-income home buyers, according to a NeighborWorks America survey. There are hundreds of millions of dollars available for down-payment assistance from many local and state organizations, besides the VA, FHA, and for rural home buyers – the U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. Here in Arizona, the Home Plus Mortgage Loan Origination Program provides a down payment assistance grant throughout most of Arizona to qualifying home buyers who intend to occupy the home. In the metro Phoenix area, there are first-time, low- and moderate-income down payment programs through partner agencies, such as Community Housing Resources of Arizona; Desert Mission Neighborhood Renewal; and Chicanos Por La Causa.
