File image of a for sale sign outside a home in the Tucson metropolitan area.
First-time home buyers in Pima County are eligible for $9,000 in down payment assistance from the Arizona Department of Housing after new federal funds were released this month.
Department of Housing Director Ruby Dhillon-Williams said current market conditions make the up-front cost of down payments one of the biggest barriers to renters who want to own homes.
“These additional dollars help those that are kind of just priced out of the market, the ones that are experiencing the resistance to have available capital to create a down payment, and or deal with high interest rates,” she said.
First-time home buyers in Pima County are eligible to receive a portion of an additional $675,000 from the Arizona is Home program, as long as they haven’t owned a home in three years, have lived in Arizona for six months, and make less than 120% of the Area Median Income.
The $9,000 is given as a second “silent” 30-year mortgage
In Pima County, that’s up to $115,000 a year for a family of four and around $80,000 for an individual.
The additional funds come from the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act.
Dhillon-Williams said the Department is looking at other funding streams so the assistance program can continue once those funds are exhausted at the end of 2026.
“What we're doing is monitoring the data and being able to show lawmakers and also the Governor's Office the results. And I think there is a significant desire to continue it in some way, and what that funding looks like will yet to be seen,” she said.
According to Hobbs’ office, the program has helped 500 households so far, and is aiming to expand that assistance to 1,000 homebuyers with this round of funding.
Those interested in the program can take an eligibility quiz at the Arizona is Home website.
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