Last verified: October 14, 2026. Programs have limited funding, changing income and purchase-price limits, and lender-specific rules. This guide is an educational starting point—not a promise of eligibility, financing, tax, or legal advice.
Buying in Los Angeles County can feel like a down-payment problem first and a house-hunting problem second. The good news: there are real programs that may help qualified buyers with a down payment, closing costs, a tax credit, or the long-term cost of owning a home. The important nuance is that “assistance” does not always mean free money. Some options are grants; many are deferred second mortgages that are repaid when you sell, refinance, transfer the property, or stop living there. Several also share in future appreciation.
Here is the resource guide we would want a Los Angeles buyer to have before getting pre-approved.
Start with the program that matches the home’s address
Buying inside the City of Los Angeles: LIPA and MIPA
The Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) offers two first-time-buyer purchase-assistance loans for homes within the City of Los Angeles—not simply anywhere in Los Angeles County.
Low Income Purchase Assistance (LIPA) is for first-time, lower-income buyers. Moderate Income Purchase Assistance (MIPA) serves first-time moderate-income buyers. Both can help cover the gap between the purchase price (plus permitted closing costs) and the buyer’s first mortgage, down payment, and other sources. The assistance is a subordinate loan, not a conventional cash grant.
Current LAHD materials describe assistance of up to $161,000 through LIPA and up to $115,000 through MIPA. These loans carry 0% interest and deferred payments, but repayment and shared-appreciation terms matter: the loan can become due upon sale, transfer, payoff of the first mortgage, or the program’s maturity date. Ask an LAHD-approved lender to walk through the actual note, deed of trust, and future-appreciation calculation before writing an offer.
Generally, applicants must be first-time buyers (no ownership interest in real property during the prior three years), purchase an owner-occupied primary residence in the City, satisfy program income and purchase-price limits, use an approved lender, and complete required education. LAHD’s first-time homebuyer page and LIPA/MIPA booklet are the place to confirm today’s limits and participating lenders.
Buying in unincorporated Los Angeles County or a participating city: HOP80 and HOP150
The Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) offers the Home Ownership Program, now called HOP80 and HOP150. It is available for eligible homes in unincorporated Los Angeles County and 47 participating cities, including Culver City, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lawndale, Lomita, Signal Hill, and many more. Address eligibility is decisive, so verify the specific property before relying on the program.
HOP can provide up to $100,000 or 20% of the purchase price, whichever is less, for a down payment and/or closing costs. It is a 0%-interest, deferred second mortgage with shared equity: on sale, transfer, or loss of owner occupancy, the buyer repays the assistance plus a share of appreciation. The current program page lists maximum purchase prices of $700,000 for HOP80 and $850,000 for HOP150.
Key current requirements include first-time status (no real-estate ownership interest in the preceding three years), owner occupancy, income eligibility, at least 1% of the down payment from the buyer’s own funds, and an eight-hour HUD-approved homebuyer-education course. HOP80 serves households up to 80% of area median income; HOP150 serves households up to 150% AMI. As of August 24, 2026, LACDA lists one-person limits of $93,300 and $113,475 respectively; household-size limits rise from there. Applications are first come, first served and must be submitted by a HOP participating lender, not directly by the buyer.
A genuine grant for eligible County residents: Greenline Home Program
Los Angeles County’s Greenline Home Program is unusually valuable because it offers a $35,000 grant, not a repayable second mortgage, for down payment and/or closing costs. It is designed for first-time, low- to moderate-income County residents in designated high- and highest-need census tracts; priority is given to those communities.
Buyers must be purchasing a single-family home, condominium, or townhouse, contribute 3% of their own funds, complete eight hours of HUD-approved education, and occupy the home for three years. A three-year lien secures the grant. Funding is limited, so it is worth contacting Neighborhood Housing Services before beginning escrow. See the County’s Greenline program page for the address/need-area screen, workshops, and application instructions.
Long Beach: first-time-homebuyer grant program
The City of Long Beach currently states that it is accepting applications for its First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program, offering up to $20,000 in down-payment and closing-cost assistance to approximately 100 eligible families. The program is a grant, not a loan. Its published guidelines include first-time and first-generation homebuyer requirements, at least six months of Long Beach residency, a 30-year fixed mortgage pre-approval, a five-year owner-occupancy requirement, and a household-income ceiling of 200% of Los Angeles County AMI. It is especially important to review the current rules: the City identifies CDBG-area residency and other targeting criteria, and a buyer cannot open escrow before preliminary qualification.
Start with Long Beach’s program overview and eligibility guidelines. Because funding and application windows can close quickly, confirm availability before treating this as part of an offer strategy.
Statewide California help that Los Angeles buyers can use
CalHFA first mortgages and MyHome assistance
California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) programs are available statewide through approved lenders. A CalHFA first mortgage can be conventional, FHA, VA, or USDA, depending on the program. The MyHome Assistance Program is a deferred-payment junior loan that can help eligible first-time buyers with down payment and closing costs; current CalHFA materials describe assistance up to 3.5% of the lower of the purchase price or appraised value. It is generally paired with a CalHFA first mortgage and is not a stand-alone grant.
CalHFA has its own income, property, credit, occupancy, lender, and homebuyer-education rules. Its program library and daily rates page are the right live sources; a CalHFA-approved lender can compare the monthly payment and total cost against conventional, FHA, VA, and local-assistance alternatives.
Dream For All: current voucher holders and waitlisted applicants
The California Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan can provide eligible first-generation, first-time buyers with down-payment assistance of up to 20% of the purchase price or appraised value. It is a shared-appreciation loan, so the original amount and a specified share of appreciation are repaid when the home is sold, transferred, refinanced in certain circumstances, or otherwise required under the program.
For 2026, CalHFA used a time-limited, random-selection process rather than an open, ongoing application queue. CalHFA’s current program page says the next round of vouchers has been released and directs existing waitlisted applicants to the voucher portal. In other words: it is a live pathway for selected voucher holders or people contacted from the waitlist, but it is not a general, walk-in source of funds today. Buyers should avoid paying for an offer or making a financing decision based on Dream For All unless their lender confirms a valid conditional approval/voucher and timeline. See CalHFA’s current program page and its January 2026 announcement.
Veterans and service members
Eligible veterans, active-duty service members, and qualifying surviving spouses should ask a VA-approved lender to compare a VA-guaranteed loan, which may allow no down payment and has no monthly mortgage insurance, with all other choices. California’s CalVet program is another state-administered mortgage option worth comparing. Buyers who are 100% service-connected disabled (or compensated at the 100% rate because of unemployability) should also ask the Los Angeles County Assessor about California’s Disabled Veterans’ Exemption. For 2026, the exemption is up to $180,671 of assessed value, or $271,009 for qualifying low-income households; it reduces property tax liability on a qualifying principal residence. Details and claim rules are available from the California Board of Equalization.
USDA and special federal loan programs
Some edge-of-County or nearby-area properties may qualify for a USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan, which can offer 100% financing for eligible low- and moderate-income buyers in designated rural areas. Eligibility is address-specific; check the property before assuming it qualifies.
For buyers who do not qualify for a local assistance program, an FHA-insured loan can be a practical low-down-payment route rather than a grant: HUD says down payments can be as low as 3.5% on eligible one- to four-unit properties. A buyer considering a home that needs work can also ask an FHA-approved lender whether an FHA 203(k) rehabilitation mortgage is appropriate, since it can finance purchase and eligible repairs together. These are financing tools, not assistance grants, and mortgage insurance, rate, property condition, and total cash-to-close should be compared carefully. Start with HUD’s FHA overview.
HUD’s Good Neighbor Next Door program is another narrow but powerful opportunity. Full-time pre-K–12 teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians may be able to buy a limited inventory of HUD homes in designated revitalization areas at a 50% discount, with a 36-month primary-residence commitment. Inventory changes weekly and is limited. See HUD’s Good Neighbor Next Door page.
Tax benefits: useful, but not cash for closing
The City of Los Angeles Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) would provide eligible first-time, low- and moderate-income buyers a federal tax credit equal to 20% of annual mortgage interest. However, LAHD currently says its MCC program is out of funding. Do not include it in a pre-approval or offer calculation unless LAHD confirms funds have reopened. The IRS confirms that an MCC is required to claim the federal mortgage-interest credit; there is no general federal first-time-homebuyer tax credit for a 2026 purchase. The old federal first-time-buyer credit was available only for qualifying purchases in 2008–2011. See LAHD’s MCC status page and the IRS’s Mortgage Interest Credit guidance.
Also note that the former federal residential clean-energy and energy-efficient-home-improvement credits cannot be claimed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 under current IRS guidance. Local utility rebates may still be available after purchase. For example, eligible LADWP customers may find rebates for heat pumps, heat-pump water heaters, cool roofs, windows, and EV chargers through the LADWP Consumer Rebate Program. Those are homeowner rebates—not down-payment assistance—and the account, equipment, and timing requirements apply.
Watch list: one measure to understand before voting on November 3
California Proposition 37 — “Creates Loan Program for Middle-Income Buyers of Qualified New Homes.” This is a ballot measure, not an existing program. A yes vote would authorize CalHFA to issue up to $25 billion in revenue bonds for a new “middle-class homeownership loan.” Under the measure, a loan could cover up to 17% of a qualified new home’s price; the buyer would provide at least 3% down. Eligible buyers would need to be California residents, occupy the home, and have income at or below 200% of area median income. The home would generally need to be new construction or the first sale of a converted nonresidential property, with price limits that vary by county and are adjusted annually.
The crucial caveat: this would be a repayable loan, not a 17% grant, and the program does not exist unless voters approve it. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office notes that its eventual scale and costs to homebuyers would depend on factors including bond-market demand and how its loan terms compare with other assistance. Read the official Legislative Analyst’s Office analysis before voting.
A smart next-step checklist
- Confirm the home’s jurisdiction first: City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, unincorporated County, or an LACDA participating city.
- Take a HUD-approved homebuyer-education course early. It is required by several programs and makes the financing conversation more productive.
- Get pre-approved with a lender that participates in the actual program you want. Many public programs accept applications only from participating lenders.
- Compare the full tradeoff—not just the assistance amount. Ask for the repayment trigger, shared-appreciation formula, resale/occupancy restrictions, fees, and how the subordinate loan affects a future refinance or sale.
- Verify funding and rules immediately before opening escrow. Program webpages, AMI limits, rates, lender lists, and allocation windows change.
- Pair the program discussion with the property itself: HOA dues, insurance availability and cost, property condition, and potential repair/energy rebates all affect affordability after closing.
Pardee Properties can help buyers identify the right neighborhood and home, coordinate a practical offer timeline, and connect them with qualified local professionals. Final eligibility and approval always come from the administering agency, lender, and—where relevant—tax professional.