Blake's take: down payment assistance usually comes with a higher interest rate, so your monthly payment is often higher than with a traditional loan. For most buyers a traditional low down loan is the better deal. If you still want DPA, HOME Plus is statewide (up to 4%), and Arizona Is Home is closed for 2026.
Quick facts: Arizona down payment assistance, verified October 26, 2026
This page does two jobs. It gives you Blake Hermann's honest view on down payment assistance, and it lists every Arizona program with facts checked against the official source on October 26, 2026, because much of what ranks online is out of date. Pillar Mortgage Group does not run any of these programs; each is run by the agency named in the table. We are a Scottsdale mortgage broker, so we can price a DPA loan and a traditional loan side by side and show you which costs less.
Blake's take: down payment assistance usually comes with a higher interest rate, so your monthly payment is often higher than with a traditional loan. For most buyers a traditional low down loan is the better deal. The assistance is usually a second loan that has to be repaid if you sell or refinance early, and you pay the higher rate for as long as you keep the loan.
That is Blake Hermann's guidance as Director of Lending at Pillar Mortgage Group, not a published statistic. Your own numbers decide it, which is why we price a DPA loan and a traditional loan for the same home before you choose.
Scroll the table sideways on a phone. AMI means area median income. Status reflects what each official source said on October 26, 2026.
| Program | Who runs it | Area | Assistance amount | Repayment or forgiveness | Min credit | Income limit | Price cap | First time buyer required? | Education required? | Status | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOME Plus | Arizona Industrial Development Authority (AzIDA) | Statewide, all 15 counties | Up to 4% of the first mortgage (0, 2, 3 or 4% on FHA, VA, USDA; 0, 3 or 4% on conventional HFA loans) | 0% interest second, no payment. Forgiven after 60 months. Repaid if you sell or refinance before then. | 620 | $155,386, all counties (as of April 6, 2026) | None set by AzIDA. Loan limits of the first mortgage apply. | No | Yes, one borrower, before closing | Open | homeplusaz.com | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Home in Five Advantage | Phoenix IDA and the Industrial Development Authority of Maricopa County | Maricopa County | Up to 6% | Not published on the program site. Ask a participating lender before you commit. | 640 | $153,440 | None | Not listed as a requirement | Yes, 8 hour course from an Arizona HUD approved agency | Open | homein5advantage.com | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Open Doors | City of Phoenix Housing Department | City of Phoenix | Up to 10% of the purchase price | 0% deferred loan, no monthly payments. Fully forgiven after the affordability period (up to 15 years). Repaid on sale, move out or refinance within that period. | Not published | 80% AMI (4 person household $89,900, effective May 1, 2026) | $470,250 | Yes | Yes, 8 hour course plus one on one HUD counseling | Listed, funding not stated | phoenix.gov | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Pima Tucson Homebuyer's Solution (PTHS) | Industrial Development Authorities of Pima County and the City of Tucson (via eHousingPlus) | Pima County, including Tucson | 0, 2, 3, 4 or 5% depending on the offering | 0% interest, 30 year forgivable second. Due early if you sell, transfer or refinance during the term. | 640 | $155,386 (FHA, VA, USDA, HFA Preferred); $79,840 for HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage at 80% AMI and lower | None. Loan limits apply. | No | Yes, all borrowers | Open | ehousingplus.com | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Tucson and Pima County HOME DPA | City of Tucson and Pima County HOME Consortium, through partner counseling agencies | City of Tucson and Pima County, excluding tribal lands | Up to $50,000 or 20% of the contract price, whichever is less | Deferred, no payments, 2% interest. Interest forgiven after 5, 10 or 15 years depending on amount. Principal repaid on sale. | Not published | 80% AMI (4 person household $79,850) | $304,000 existing homes, $345,000 new construction | Not stated | Yes, HUD counseling before you sign a purchase contract | Open | tucsonaz.gov fact sheet (June 2026) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Flagstaff CHAP (Option 1) | City of Flagstaff Housing | Flagstaff city limits | Up to $50,000 as a 10 to 1 matching loan | Never forgiven. No payment until you sell, stop living there or do a cash out refinance; repaid with a share of appreciation. | Not published | Up to 150% AMI ($152,820 for a household of 3) | None stated | Yes, first time Flagstaff buyer | Not stated | Confirm with city | City council packet, Oct 21, 2025 | Oct 26, 2026 |
| WISH grant | Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, only through participating member banks and credit unions | Arizona, California, Nevada | Up to $32,837, a 4 to 1 matching grant | Grant | Not published | 80% AMI | Not stated | Yes | Yes, homebuyer counseling first | Open through members | fhlbsf.com | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Arizona Is Home | AzIDA (rural track); 2024 nonprofit track via Trellis and Chicanos Por La Causa | Was all counties except Maricopa, Pima and Chino Valley | Was 4% of the first mortgage | Was non forgivable, due on sale or refinance | Was 620 | Was up to 100% AMI | n/a | Was yes | n/a | Closed | homeplusaz.com | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Pathway to Purchase | Was Arizona Department of Housing | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | No current program | housing.az.gov (not listed) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Mortgage Credit Certificate (tax credit, not DPA) | Community Investment Corporation (CIC Tucson) | Statewide | Federal tax credit; rate not published by AzIDA | Not a loan | Not published | County limits apply | Limits apply | Yes (no home owned in 3 years), or a veteran | Not stated | Limited funds | homeplusaz.com/mccs | Oct 26, 2026 |
Where a source does not publish a figure, the table says so instead of guessing. Call us at (480) 660-4476 for the current limit on any program.
Corrections to what you may read elsewhere.
HOME Plus tops out at 4%, not 5%. Phoenix Open Doors is up to 10% of the purchase price, not a flat $15,000, and its price cap on the city page is $470,250. The HOME Plus income limit is $155,386; a $155,368 figure appears only in one page description on the AzIDA site, while the headline, the April 2026 training guide and the June 2026 lender summary all say $155,386. Home in Five Advantage lists $153,440 on its own site. Arizona Is Home is closed. Mortgage Credit Certificates come from CIC Tucson, not from the Arizona IDA.
Start with where you are buying, then check your credit score and household income against the table. Then compare the result against a traditional loan before you commit.
Look at Open Doors if you are a first time buyer at or below 80% AMI and the price is $470,250 or less. The city says it can be layered with other assistance, so also ask about HOME Plus or Home in Five Advantage.
HOME Plus or Home in Five Advantage. We found no city run down payment assistance page for Mesa, Gilbert, Scottsdale or Glendale on October 26, 2026. Chandler runs a land trust program through Newtown CDC, and Tempe lists its CAMP deferred loan for first time buyers; neither page publishes an amount.
HOME Plus, PTHS, or the Tucson and Pima County HOME program if your income is at or below 80% AMI and the home is $304,000 or less (existing) or $345,000 or less (new). Tucson requires counseling before you sign a contract.
HOME Plus statewide, plus CHAP if you are a first time Flagstaff buyer who has lived and worked in the area for a year. Confirm CHAP funding with the City first.
HOME Plus is your statewide option. Arizona Is Home, the program for counties outside Maricopa and Pima, is closed for the rest of 2026.
Ask your bank or credit union whether it is enrolled in the 2026 WISH round. WISH only flows through FHLBank San Francisco member institutions. The 2024 participant list included Arizona Central, Copper State and OneAZ credit unions.
| Your credit score | Programs with a published minimum you meet |
|---|---|
| Below 620 | None of HOME Plus, Home in Five Advantage or PTHS. Open Doors, the Tucson HOME program and WISH publish no minimum, so the first mortgage lender's rules decide. |
| 620 to 639 | HOME Plus |
| 640 and up | HOME Plus, Home in Five Advantage (Maricopa), PTHS (Pima) |
No. The Arizona IDA says the funds for the 2026 Arizona Is Home program are exhausted and the program is retired for the remainder of the year as of October 6, 2026. The 2024 nonprofit version run through Trellis is also closed; Trellis says the program is no longer available.
When it was open, the Arizona IDA version paid 4% of the first mortgage as a non forgivable second, due on sale or refinance, for first time buyers outside Maricopa and Pima counties and Chino Valley. If you were counting on it, HOME Plus is the closest statewide option: up to 4%, forgiven after 60 months, and no first time buyer requirement. Many sites still list Arizona Is Home as available. Check the date on anything you read.
620 for HOME Plus, the only statewide program. 640 for Home in Five Advantage in Maricopa County and for PTHS in Pima County. Open Doors, the Tucson and Pima County HOME program, WISH and Flagstaff CHAP do not publish a minimum, so the lender on your first mortgage sets it.
| Program | Minimum credit score | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HOME Plus (statewide) | 620 | AzIDA lender summary, June 2026 |
| Home in Five Advantage (Maricopa) | 640 | homein5advantage.com |
| PTHS (Pima County) | 640 | eHousingPlus program highlights |
| Phoenix Open Doors | Not published | phoenix.gov |
| Tucson and Pima County HOME DPA | Not published | tucsonaz.gov fact sheet |
| WISH grant | Not published | fhlbsf.com |
| Arizona Is Home (closed) | 620 when open | homeplusaz.com |
HOME Plus uses the middle of three scores, or the lower of two. Your first mortgage lender can still set a higher floor than the program, which is one reason a broker that compares several lenders helps.
Here is how the two compare on structure, using only what the official program sources say. No rates or payments are invented here; we quote yours from live pricing.
| Feature | With down payment assistance | Traditional low down loan |
|---|---|---|
| Interest rate | Set by the program. The Arizona IDA says HOME Plus rates "may be slightly higher than current industry rates," and each assistance level carries its own rate. PTHS sponsors set the rate, term and points. | Shopped across lenders on the open market. As a broker we compare multiple wholesale lenders. |
| How the down payment is covered | A second loan (lien) on your home. HOME Plus and Open Doors charge 0% on it; the Tucson HOME program charges 2%. | Your own savings or an eligible gift, as little as 3% or 3.5%, or 0% on VA and USDA for those who qualify. |
| Selling or refinancing early | HOME Plus is repaid if you sell or refinance within 60 months. PTHS comes due on sale, transfer or refinance during its 30 year term. Open Doors is repaid on sale, move out or refinance within up to 15 years. | One loan. Sell or refinance whenever it makes sense, subject only to your note terms. |
| Refinancing later | The Arizona IDA "does not subordinate," so a HOME Plus second inside 60 months must be paid off to refinance. | No second lien to clear. |
| Income and price limits | HOME Plus $155,386 income. Open Doors 80% AMI and a $470,250 price cap. Tucson HOME 80% AMI and a $304,000 cap on existing homes. | VA sets no maximum income. HomeReady and Home Possible are tied to 80% AMI. USDA allows up to 115% of median household income. |
| Education | Required by HOME Plus, Home in Five Advantage, Open Doors, PTHS and the Tucson program. | HomeReady requires it only when all borrowers are first time buyers. |
Blake's take: the second lien and the program rate are the trade. You keep a little more cash at closing, and in exchange you usually pay a higher rate every month and accept repayment rules if you sell or refinance early. For most buyers who can cover 3 to 3.5 percent, the traditional loan wins. The only way to know for your file is two Loan Estimates for the same home, one with assistance and one without, compared on rate, monthly payment, cash to close and what you would owe if you sold or refinanced in year three.
Government insured, flexible on credit. See FHA loans in Arizona for 2026 county limits. Source: HUD Handbook 4000.1.
Fannie Mae allows up to 97% loan to value on a one unit primary home purchase. Mortgage insurance can be canceled later. See conventional loans.
For first time or repeat buyers with income tied to area median income; reduced mortgage insurance. Source: Fannie Mae.
Up to 97% loan to value, income limited to 80% of area median income. Source: Freddie Mac.
No down payment as long as the price is not above appraised value, and no monthly mortgage insurance. See VA loans in Arizona. Source: VA.gov.
100% financing in eligible areas, income up to 115% of median household income. Check an address on the USDA map. Source: USDA Rural Development.
Sometimes. The City of Phoenix says Open Doors "can be layered with other homeownership assistance programs." Statewide HOME Plus, Home in Five Advantage and PTHS are each paired with their own first mortgage, so you generally pick one of those. Ask before you assume two programs stack. Each extra layer is another set of repayment rules.
We are a mortgage broker, so we are not tied to one bank's product list or to any assistance program. We price a traditional low down loan and any DPA option you qualify for on the same home, show you both in writing, and tell you straight which one costs less. Our average close is about 18 days, and as fast as 10. Office: (480) 660-4476, Monday to Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 2, Sunday closed.
New to buying? Read the Arizona first time home buyer guide, compare FHA loans in Arizona, conventional loans and VA loans, see all loan programs, or start a mortgage pre approval.
All sources accessed October 26, 2026.
Tell us where you are buying and your credit range. Blake will price a traditional low down loan and any assistance program you qualify for on the same home, then show you which one costs less each month and over time. No cost, no obligation.
No commitment · Under 2 minutes
Your information is never sold or shared. By submitting you authorize Pillar Mortgage Group LLC to contact you by phone, text, or email. Pillar Mortgage Group does not run these assistance programs; eligibility is set by each program administrator. Equal Housing Lender.
Blake or a member of our team will reach out shortly with both options side by side.
Pillar Mortgage Group, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, doing business in accordance with the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Down payment assistance programs are offered and administered by the agencies named on this page, not by Pillar Mortgage Group. Program terms, funding and limits can change without notice.
Company NMLS# 2700076 | Blake Hermann, Director of Lending, NMLS# 2271358 | Arizona License MB-2009671 | View NMLS Consumer Access