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Down payment help in California
Down payment assistance, sometimes called DPA, can help with the cash you need to close on a home in California. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help California buyers with two California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) programs, CalHFA MyHome and CalHFA Dream For All, subject to eligibility, current CalHFA rules, and, for Dream For All, a current voucher. We can also compare lender down payment assistance programs, available in all of the states where we are licensed, including California, side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance. That other help generally comes in three types: forgiven at closing, like a grant; forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions; or repayable. This page explains how that help typically works, what to weigh, and how we compare your options, subject to approval and eligibility.
Illustrative only. Dream For All voucher availability changes. Other lender program amounts and terms are not listed here. All loans subject to approval.
Neither the Loan Originator nor Loan Factory, Inc. is a government agency or is affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Government, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
If you are looking for California down payment assistance, down payment assistance in California, or first-time home buyer assistance in California, the starting point is the same: understand the form of help, the rules, and the trade-offs, then compare it with a loan that has no assistance.
We can help California buyers with CalHFA MyHome and CalHFA Dream For All, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current CalHFA rules, and approved-lender requirements. Dream For All also depends on a current voucher. These two programs are not combined on the same loan.
We can also compare lender down payment assistance, available in all of the states where we are licensed. That help can be forgiven at closing, like a grant; forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions; or repayable. We do not name those programs, or their amounts or terms, on this page.
MyHome is paired with a CalHFA first mortgage, which may be FHA or conventional, depending on the option. Dream For All is paired with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage. Other lender assistance may pair with an FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loan, when the program allows it. See our loan programs page. Loan limits in California vary widely by county.
MyHome and Dream For All both require first-time homebuyer status, as CalHFA defines it. Dream For All also requires that at least one borrower is a first-generation homebuyer and that at least one borrower currently lives in California. Other lender programs we compare may have their own first-time rules, or none.
Assistance can reduce the cash you need at closing, but it can come with a higher rate or higher costs than a loan with no assistance. MyHome is repayable when certain events occur. Dream For All is repaid with a share of any increase in the home's value. Dream For All funds are allocated by voucher, and the current application window is closed. We will put those trade-offs next to a standard loan.
Jerry Kindig is a mortgage loan originator licensed in California (NMLS #2397823), working through Loan Factory (NMLS #320841). California is one of the states where we are licensed. See our California page and where we are licensed.
This is the down payment help we can actually compare for your file. It is available in every state where we are licensed.
Pick My Mortgage Rate, Jerry Kindig's team through Loan Factory, has access to other lender down payment assistance programs. Those programs may be a better fit for your situation, and they are available in all of the states where we are licensed, including California. See where we are licensed.
We do not list those lender programs by name on this page, and we do not publish amounts or terms for them, because the right option depends on your file and on current lender guidelines. In general, the help comes in three types: assistance that is forgiven at closing, like a grant; assistance that is forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions; and assistance you repay. When you talk with us, we will compare the type that may fit your file, side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance, subject to approval and eligibility.
This is the comparison we can run for your file. We will include CalHFA MyHome, CalHFA Dream For All when a voucher is available, other lender assistance, and a standard loan that has no assistance. The right option depends on your situation and on current guidelines. Subject to approval and eligibility.
| CalHFA programs we can help with | A loan with no assistance | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | CalHFA MyHome is a deferred junior loan, used only with a CalHFA first mortgage. CalHFA Dream For All is a shared-appreciation loan, used only with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage, and only when a voucher is available. The two programs are not combined on the same loan. | You fund the down payment and closing costs from your own funds, a gift, or seller credits, as the loan type allows. |
| How the help is repaid | MyHome payments are deferred. Principal and interest are due when you sell, transfer title, pay off or refinance the first mortgage, or when a notice of default is recorded, unless it is rescinded. Dream For All is repaid, when due, as the original assistance plus a share of any increase in the home's value. | There is no second loan from these programs to repay. |
| How we help | We can help with MyHome, and with Dream For All when a voucher is available, and we will also compare other lender assistance, subject to approval and eligibility. | We include this path in the same side-by-side comparison. |
| Best Price Guarantee | Does not apply to down payment assistance loans. | The guarantee is not featured on this page. See our Best Price Guarantee page for where it does and does not apply. |
The label is "assistance," but the legal form of that help can be a grant, a deferred second loan, or a shared-appreciation loan. Knowing the difference is the useful part.
Down payment assistance is help with the money you need to buy a home. People searching for California down payment assistance, first-time home buyer assistance in California, or DPA loans in California are usually looking for the same thing: a way to close with less cash out of pocket, without guessing at the rules.
The help is typically paired with a first mortgage. For CalHFA MyHome, that first mortgage is a CalHFA loan, which may be FHA or conventional, depending on the option. For CalHFA Dream For All, it is the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage. Other lender assistance we compare may be paired with an FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loan, when the program allows that loan type and you qualify. Assistance is then applied at closing, often toward the down payment, closing costs, or both.
The form of the help matters as much as the amount. MyHome is a deferred junior loan you repay when certain events occur. Dream For All is a shared-appreciation loan: you repay the original assistance plus a share of any increase in the home's value. Across the other lender programs we can compare, available in every state where we are licensed, the help generally comes in three types:
Some assistance is forgiven when you close, like a grant. You typically do not repay it if you follow the program's rules, such as occupying the home as your primary residence for a stated period. If you break those rules, you may have to repay some or all of it.
Some assistance is a second loan that is forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions, often by staying in the home. If you sell or refinance before that period ends, some or all of the balance may be due.
Some assistance is a second loan you repay. Payments may be deferred, with no monthly bill on that second loan. The balance is often due when you sell, refinance, stop occupying the home as your primary residence, or reach the end of the term. Subordination, if it is allowed at all, is set by the program, not assumed. MyHome and Dream For All are both in this family of repayable help, with different repayment structures.
We do not treat any one of these as better in the abstract. The right structure depends on how long you expect to stay, whether you may refinance, and what you qualify for. When you talk with us, we will explain the structure that applies to your file, in plain language, subject to approval and eligibility.
MyHome is a deferred junior loan, used with a CalHFA first mortgage. Amounts, terms, and eligibility come from official CalHFA sources. Confirm current rules.
CalHFA MyHome, officially the MyHome Assistance Program, is a deferred-payment junior loan that may be used only with a CalHFA first mortgage. It can go toward your down payment, closing costs, or both. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help California buyers with MyHome, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current CalHFA rules, and approved-lender requirements. You apply through a CalHFA-approved lender. CalHFA does not lend directly to consumers.
For a CalHFA FHA first mortgage, MyHome is currently published as up to 3.5% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less. For a CalHFA conventional first mortgage, it is currently published as up to 3% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less. Confirm current amounts. CalHFA's program handbook also lists certain other CalHFA first-mortgage types at the 3% level. We will use the figure that applies to your first-mortgage option.
The term of the MyHome loan matches the term of the CalHFA first mortgage, not to exceed 30 years. Payments are deferred for the life of the first loan. Repayment of principal and interest is due at the earliest of these events, as CalHFA currently publishes them: transfer of title, sale of the property, payoff of the first loan, refinance of the first loan, or the formal filing and recording of a notice of default, unless that notice is rescinded. Confirm current terms. MyHome is not described as a grant, and it is not forgiven after a period of time.
MyHome is for first-time homebuyers, as CalHFA defines that term, purchasing an owner-occupied primary residence in California. All borrowers on the loan, including co-borrowers, must meet that first-time definition and must occupy the home. Non-occupant co-borrowers are not allowed. Homebuyer education is required, and household income must meet CalHFA income limits for the county where you are buying. Those limits change; confirm current limits. MyHome funds may not be used to pay off borrower debt, and you may not receive cash back from the MyHome loan. If MyHome is layered with other assistance, CalHFA currently requires that it remain in second lien position. MyHome may not be combined with Dream For All.
Dream For All is a shared-appreciation loan. The 2026 voucher application window is closed. Confirm current status on CalHFA's official page. Do not treat this as a promise of available funds.
CalHFA Dream For All, officially the Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan, is down payment and closing cost assistance for first-generation homebuyers. It is used only with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help California buyers with Dream For All when a voucher is available, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current CalHFA rules, voucher terms, and approved-lender requirements.
Current status. CalHFA's official Dream For All page currently says the application period for a voucher is closed. The 2026 application window ran from February 24 to March 16, 2026. After that date, no new applications can be submitted through that portal. Selection was by a randomized drawing, not first come, first served. CalHFA released a further round of vouchers on May 20, 2026, to people who had already applied. Applicants who were waitlisted may still receive a voucher if a position becomes available, and should check the official DFA portal and the email they used to apply. We will not claim that new applications are being accepted, and we will not promise that a waitlist position will turn into a voucher. Confirm the current status on CalHFA's Dream For All page. If you already have a current voucher, or if CalHFA opens a later round, we can help, subject to eligibility. In the meantime, we can compare MyHome and other lender assistance.
When a voucher is available, Dream For All is currently published as up to 20% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less, not to exceed $150,000, toward the down payment, closing costs, or both. Payments on the shared-appreciation loan are deferred for the life of the first mortgage, not to exceed 30 years. When the home is sold, transferred, or the first mortgage is paid in full, you repay the original assistance plus a share of any increase in the home's value. That share is set by CalHFA. It is generally in line with the size of the assistance, and CalHFA currently publishes a lower share for lower-income borrowers. CalHFA also caps how large that share can be. A refinance may also require repayment, though CalHFA currently allows a one-time limited refinance without immediate repayment if its resubordination rules are met. This loan is not assumable. Confirm current terms. We do not publish payment examples on this page.
Eligibility, as CalHFA currently publishes it: at least one borrower must be a first-generation homebuyer; at least one borrower must currently live in California; all borrowers must be first-time homebuyers; and combined household income must meet CalHFA income limits for the county where you are buying. A first-generation homebuyer, as CalHFA currently defines it, is someone who has not been on title, held an ownership interest, or been named on a mortgage to a home in the United States in the last seven years, and whose parents, to the best of the homebuyer's knowledge, do not have a present ownership interest in a home in the United States (or did not, if a parent is deceased), or someone who has at any time been placed in foster care or institutional care. Homebuyer education is required, including a free one-hour CalHFA course on shared appreciation. Dream For All may not be combined with MyHome.
Requirements vary by program. The list below is a guide to what we will ask about, not a checklist that guarantees approval.
Every program writes its own rules. These are the factors that come up often for MyHome, Dream For All, and the other lender programs we compare. None of them is a promise of approval, and we do not publish a single qualifying number on this page, because the figure depends on the program and on your first-mortgage type.
The first mortgage has a minimum credit score, and some assistance programs have their own. Meeting a minimum does not mean you are approved. Your full file is underwritten. We follow the current guidelines for the program you are considering, rather than publishing a single number here.
CalHFA publishes income limits by county for MyHome and for Dream For All. Those limits were last updated for new reservations on June 30, 2026, and they can change. Other lender programs may have their own caps. Confirm current limits for the county where you are buying.
CalHFA requires homebuyer education for these programs, completed in the way CalHFA currently specifies. Dream For All also requires a free one-hour course on shared appreciation. A course certificate is not a loan approval and is not a voucher.
The home is your primary residence. For MyHome and Dream For All, all borrowers must occupy the property, typically within 60 days of closing. Non-occupant co-borrowers are not allowed. Investment properties and vacation homes are usually outside these programs.
MyHome and Dream For All both require first-time status, as CalHFA defines it: typically, no ownership interest in a principal residence, and no living in a home owned by a spouse, during the previous three years. All borrowers on the loan must meet that definition. CalHFA publishes limited exceptions; confirm current rules. Dream For All also requires that at least one borrower is a first-generation homebuyer, as described above, and that at least one borrower currently lives in California. Other lender programs we compare may have their own first-time rules, or none.
The loan type, the purchase price, and the property type must fit the program. MyHome requires a CalHFA first mortgage. Dream For All requires the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage and a current voucher. The first mortgage also has a loan limit that varies by county, as described below. All of this is reviewed on your file, subject to eligibility.
These 2026 figures come from official HUD and FHFA sources. High-cost counties vary. They change. Confirm current limits for your county.
A loan limit is the most a given loan type can finance, not a promise that you qualify, and not always the same as a purchase-price cap. Limits are set by the loan program, they vary by county and by the number of units, and they usually change once a year. Confirm current figures for the California county where you are buying.
For 2026, FHA and conventional conforming one-unit limits in California vary widely by county. In 10 counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz, both limits are at the national high-cost ceiling of $1,249,125, according to HUD's official county files and the Federal Housing Finance Agency's 2026 conforming announcement. San Diego County is $1,104,000. Ventura is $1,035,000. Napa, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Sonoma sit between those figures and the conforming baseline.
The 2026 conventional conforming baseline is $832,750, which applies in 41 of California's 58 counties, including Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Fresno, and Kern. The FHA national floor is $541,287, which applies in 28 counties. Some inland and Sacramento-area counties have FHA limits between that floor and the conforming baseline. Limits change. Confirm current figures for your county and loan type. A loan limit is not an approval.
VA and USDA loans have their own rules. We will use the current limit that applies to your loan type and county when we compare options.
The items below are typical in a California purchase. They are not a quote, and they are not a payment example.
Down payment assistance can go toward closing costs as well as the down payment, when the program allows it. Knowing the usual items, without treating any figure as a quote, helps you see what that cash is for.
A California purchase typically closes through an escrow company and a title company. Closing costs often include escrow fees, title work and title insurance, recording fees, a documentary transfer tax (a county tax, and in some places a city tax, both calculated from the sale price under California law), the appraisal, and prepaid items such as homeowners insurance and property taxes. Exact items and amounts vary by county, city, loan type, and the transaction. We do not publish a typical-dollar total or payment examples on this page. When you talk with us, we will walk through the costs that apply to your file.
Help with cash to close is useful. It is worth knowing what you give up, or take on, in return.
Assistance can make a purchase possible sooner, by reducing the cash you have to bring to closing. It is still a trade. We will put those trade-offs next to a standard loan that has no assistance, so you can see them clearly.
The first mortgage that comes with assistance can have a higher interest rate, or higher costs, than a loan with no assistance. We do not list rates or payment examples on this page. The comparison for your file is the place to see the difference.
MyHome is a deferred loan you repay when you sell, refinance, or certain other events occur. Dream For All is repaid as the original assistance plus a share of any increase in the home's value. A refinance may require repayment, with limited exceptions that CalHFA currently sets. The two CalHFA programs are not combined on the same loan.
Education, income limits, first-time rules, and, for Dream For All, first-generation status and a voucher all add conditions. Dream For All is not first come, first served, and the 2026 application window is closed. We will not claim that help is always available. Confirm current Dream For All status on CalHFA's official page.
The $2,000 Best Price Guarantee does not apply to down payment assistance loans.
For a broader look at how this kind of help compares with saving for a larger down payment, see Down Payment Assistance vs. Saving 20% and our national down payment assistance overview.
Here is the path we use. We will compare CalHFA MyHome, CalHFA Dream For All when a voucher is available, other lender assistance, and a standard loan that has no assistance.
Share the California county, the price range, your income and household, your ownership history, and your credit picture. If you already applied for Dream For All, tell us your voucher status.
We will compare MyHome, Dream For All if a voucher is available, other lender down payment assistance in the three types described on this page, and a standard loan that has no assistance. Subject to approval, eligibility, and current CalHFA status.
You will see the differences in plain language, including the form of the help, repayment, and the trade-offs. You decide whether a CalHFA program, other assistance, or a standard loan is the better fit, subject to approval.
If you move forward, we originate the option you chose, subject to underwriting, approval, eligibility, and, for CalHFA programs, current CalHFA and approved-lender requirements. A California purchase typically closes through escrow and a title company. A prequalification letter is not a loan approval, and a Dream For All voucher is not a loan approval.
Illustrative path. Timelines and requirements vary. All loans subject to approval and eligibility.
Have these ready when you talk with us. A prequalification letter is not a loan approval. A Dream For All voucher is not a loan approval.
The California county and a price range. California is one of the states where we are licensed, and other lender assistance is available in every state where we are licensed.
Who will live in the home and sign the note, current income, and whether a first-time or first-generation rule may apply. For Dream For All, parent information may be required to establish first-generation status.
If you applied in the 2026 round, your current portal status (selected, waitlisted, voucher issued, or not selected). The 2026 application window is closed. Confirm current status.
A sense of your credit score and whether a CalHFA first mortgage, or FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional, is in view. Loan limits in your county may also shape the comparison.
Bring the questions that matter to your file. We will compare MyHome, Dream For All when a voucher is available, other lender assistance, and a standard loan, in plain language.
The $2,000 Best Price Guarantee does not apply to down payment assistance. Read the full terms.
Down payment assistance, often shortened to DPA, is help with the money you need to close on a home in California. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help California buyers with two CalHFA programs, CalHFA MyHome and CalHFA Dream For All, subject to eligibility, current CalHFA rules, and, for Dream For All, a current voucher. We can also compare lender down payment assistance programs, available in all of the states where we are licensed, including California, side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance. That other help generally comes in three types: forgiven at closing, like a grant; forgiven after a set period; or repayable. Subject to approval and eligibility.
CalHFA MyHome is a deferred-payment junior loan from the California Housing Finance Agency, used only with a CalHFA first mortgage, toward the down payment, closing costs, or both. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help California buyers with MyHome, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current CalHFA rules, and approved-lender requirements. You apply through a CalHFA-approved lender. CalHFA does not lend directly to consumers.
Yes. MyHome is not a grant, and it is not forgiven after a period of time. For a CalHFA FHA first mortgage, CalHFA currently publishes assistance of up to 3.5% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less. For a CalHFA conventional first mortgage, it is currently up to 3%. Confirm current amounts. Payments are deferred for the life of the first mortgage, not to exceed 30 years. Principal and interest are due when you sell, transfer title, pay off or refinance the first mortgage, or when a notice of default is recorded, unless it is rescinded. Confirm current terms. MyHome may not be combined with Dream For All.
CalHFA Dream For All is a shared-appreciation loan for first-generation homebuyers, used with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage. CalHFA's official page currently says the application period for a voucher is closed. The 2026 application window closed on March 16, 2026, and no new applications can be submitted through that portal. Selection was by a randomized drawing, not first come, first served. CalHFA released a further round of vouchers on May 20, 2026, to people who had already applied. Waitlisted applicants may still receive a voucher if a position becomes available. We will not claim that new applications are being accepted. Confirm current status on CalHFA's Dream For All page. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help if you have a current voucher, or if a later round opens, subject to eligibility. In the meantime, we can compare MyHome and other lender assistance.
When a voucher is available, CalHFA currently publishes assistance of up to 20% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less, not to exceed $150,000. Payments are deferred. When the home is sold, transferred, or the first mortgage is paid in full, you repay the original assistance plus a share of any increase in the home's value. That share is set by CalHFA, generally in line with the size of the assistance, and currently lower for lower-income borrowers, with a cap on how large the share can be. A refinance may also require repayment, with a limited one-time exception CalHFA currently allows if its resubordination rules are met. Confirm current terms. We do not publish payment examples on this page. Dream For All may not be combined with MyHome.
For MyHome and Dream For All, yes, you have to be a first-time homebuyer as CalHFA defines it. Typically that means you have not had an ownership interest in a principal residence, and have not lived in a home owned by a spouse, during the previous three years. All borrowers on the loan must meet that definition. CalHFA publishes limited exceptions; confirm current rules. Dream For All also requires that at least one borrower is a first-generation homebuyer, as CalHFA defines it (including a seven-year lookback on the buyer's own ownership and a rule about parents' ownership, with a foster-care path), and that at least one borrower currently lives in California. Other lender programs we compare may have their own first-time rules, or none.
CalHFA publishes income limits by county for MyHome and for Dream For All. Those limits were last updated for new reservations on June 30, 2026, and they can change. Confirm current limits for your county. Credit requirements follow the first-mortgage program and current CalHFA guidelines. Meeting a minimum or an income cap does not mean you are approved. Your full file is underwritten. We do not publish a single number on this page. All loans are subject to approval and eligibility.
It depends on the program. MyHome is paired with a CalHFA first mortgage, which may be FHA or conventional, depending on the option. Dream For All is paired with the Dream For All Conventional first mortgage only. Other lender assistance we compare may pair with FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loans, when the program allows that loan type and you qualify. The first mortgage also has a loan limit that varies widely by California county. For 2026, both FHA and conforming limits reach $1,249,125 in 10 high-cost counties, and many other counties are at or closer to the conforming baseline of $832,750 or the FHA floor of $541,287. Confirm current limits. See our FHA, VA, USDA, and loan programs pages. Subject to eligibility.
A California purchase typically closes through an escrow company and a title company. Costs often include escrow fees, title work and title insurance, recording fees, a documentary transfer tax (county, and in some places city, based on the sale price), the appraisal, and prepaid items such as insurance and property taxes. Exact items and amounts vary. Down payment assistance can sometimes be used toward closing costs, when the program allows it. We do not publish a typical-dollar total or payment examples on this page.
Some programs do run out, and Dream For All is allocated by voucher, not first come, first served. The 2026 Dream For All application window is closed. We will not claim that assistance is always available. When you talk with us, we will tell you what we can compare at that time, including MyHome and other lender options, subject to eligibility. The $2,000 Best Price Guarantee does not apply to down payment assistance. This page does not include the guarantee ticket. You can read the full terms on our Best Price Guarantee page.
Written by Jerry L Kindig III, NMLS #2397823, a mortgage loan originator licensed in California (California Mortgage Loan Originator License CA-DFPI2397823). Loan Factory, NMLS #320841, holds California Real Estate Corporation MLO License Endorsement 01771313, licensed by the California Department of Real Estate, and Financing Law License 60DBO-110501, licensed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Equal Housing Opportunity. Program rules, income limits, assistance amounts, and loan limits change. Confirm current terms with CalHFA and a licensed loan officer before you make a decision. All loans and assistance are subject to approval and eligibility. Nothing on this page is a promise of approval, a loan offer, or a commitment to lend.
Tell us about the California county, your income, and your plans, including any Dream For All voucher status. We will compare MyHome, Dream For All when a voucher is available, other lender assistance, and a standard loan. A licensed loan officer will follow up. Prefer to talk now?