West Virginia first-time homebuyer grants and down payment assistance (2026)

The Low Down Home Loan is a 2% loan you repay, not a grant

The Low Down Home Loan lends up to $12,000 at 2% fixed for 15 years and can cover the down payment, closing costs or both ⁠⁴. WVHDF’s 2026 lender training puts the payment on the full $12,000 at $77.22 a month ⁠¹⁰. Its Procedural Guide sets the main terms ⁠⁹:

• Repayment. The monthly payment counts in your debt-to-income ratio. The loan must be paid in full when you sell or refinance; WVHDF will not subordinate it to a new first mortgage ⁠⁴.
• Assumable. A qualified buyer can take over the loan.
• How funds are used. The money goes first to closing costs you owe and then to the down payment. WVHDF wires it to the closing attorney ⁠¹⁰.
• Loan-to-value test. Your first mortgage must be at least 80% of the home’s value, and the first and second loans together cannot exceed 105% ⁠⁵.

The rule on which first mortgage qualifies changed this fall. WVHDF’s July 31, 2026 memo still allowed the loan with both the Homeownership and Movin’ Up programs ⁠¹¹. On Sept. 30, 2026, WVHDF wrote that heavy Movin’ Up demand had used up funds. It removed the Low Down Home Loan from Movin’ Up and Movin’ Up Special “until further notice,” with no change for the Homeownership Program ⁠⁶. Loans already locked under Movin’ Up were not affected ⁠⁶.

Homeownership Program income and price caps, county by county

Since January 2026, the Homeownership Program income limit no longer depends on household size. Each county has one dollar figure, and it covers the income of everyone who signs the note or takes title ⁠²⁠¹⁰. The limits apply to locks made on or after Jan. 2, 2026. Sixteen counties sit at the $57,040 floor, all but Barbour of them targeted. Jefferson County is highest at $102,100 ⁠².

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Neither the sales price nor the first mortgage amount may exceed the county’s house price limit. Movin’ Up uses one statewide limit instead: $171,120 income and a $350,000 price ⁠².

To find your county, open WVHDF’s one-page limits chart (linked under Verified resources). It lists all 55 counties in two columns, non-targeted and targeted ⁠². Your lender also enters the figure on the Application Affidavit you sign within three days of applying ⁠³.

Targeted counties and the three-year first-time rule

WVHDF classifies 35 counties as targeted. They include Braxton, Fayette, Hampshire, Logan, McDowell, Mineral, Mingo, Preston, Randolph, Wayne and Wyoming. In those counties you do not have to be a first-time buyer ⁠³. In the 20 non-targeted counties, including Kanawha, Berkeley, Monongalia, Cabell, Harrison and Wood, no one taking title may have owned their principal residence in the three years before closing. A land contract or a life estate counts as ownership; a mobile home not attached to land does not ⁠³. Lenders check this using one year of signed federal tax returns and a three-year housing history on the loan application ⁠⁵.

The bond rules also say ⁠³:

• You must move in within 60 days of closing.
• You cannot rent out the home or use it as a vacation home.
• If you sell within nine years at a gain and your income has risen above set levels, you may owe federal recapture tax.

The lot can be no larger than five acres. Cosigners are not allowed, and singlewide manufactured homes are not eligible ⁠¹.

Movin’ Up when you earn too much or owned recently

Movin’ Up is WVHDF’s first mortgage for buyers who fail the Homeownership Program’s income or ownership tests. It has no first-time requirement and no acreage limit, and it accepts FHA, VA, USDA or private mortgage insurance ⁠⁸. Movin’ Up Special offers a lower rate to buyers at or below 80% of area median income for their census tract, on conventional loans only ⁠⁸⁠¹⁰. Since the Oct. 7, 2026 memo, Movin’ Up is priced at 7.750% and Movin’ Up Special at 7.625%, compared with 5.790% for the Homeownership Program ⁠¹⁠⁷. With no down payment loan available, Movin’ Up buyers now need their own cash or a local program.

Credit, debt-to-income and the HomeView course

WVHDF’s public FAQ says scores “in the low- to mid-600s” can work ⁠¹. Its Procedural Guide is specific ⁠⁹:

• FHA, VA and USDA loans. Homeownership Program loans need a 620 minimum representative score and a total debt-to-income ratio of 49.99% or less. They also need an Approve/Eligible finding from automated underwriting. Manual downgrades are not accepted.
• Conventional loans. These follow Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter. If a conventional file has to be manually underwritten, WVHDF requires a 640 score, a debt-to-income ratio of 41% or less and two months of reserves. Collections above $200 each or $1,000 in total must be paid off.
• Fees. Lenders collect a $350 WVHDF administrative fee on every loan.

WVHDF prices each program from a daily rate sheet, and its Homeownership and Movin’ Up loans carry no loan-level price adjustments ⁠⁵⁠¹⁰.

Education. WVHDF does not use a HUD-counseling rule of its own. On conventional Homeownership, Movin’ Up and Movin’ Up Special loans, at least one borrower must complete Fannie Mae’s HomeView course, and the certificate must be dated within one year of closing. Taking the course through the link on WVHDF’s lending partners page avoids any cost to you. On FHA, VA and USDA loans, the insuring agency’s rules apply ⁠⁹⁠⁵.

Lenders. You can apply with a WVHDF loan originator (800-933-8511) or with a partner lender found through WVHDF’s county search ⁠¹⁠¹². The Low Down Home Loan is not available with a mortgage from any other program ⁠⁴.

No mortgage credit certificate. WVHDF’s 2026 product list includes the Homeownership Program, Movin’ Up, Movin’ Up Special, the Low Down Home Loan and a septic repair loan. It has no mortgage credit certificate ⁠¹⁰.

Forgivable help in Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling

Three local HOME programs offer forgiveness that WVHDF does not. All three require first-time buyer status, an income at or below about 80% of area median income, and an inspection of the home. None posts a current balance of funds, so call before you sign a contract.

• Charleston, HOME Blend (MOECD). You borrow 80% from a participating lender. The city lends the other 20% at 0% and forgives it monthly over 10 years. It also helps with closing costs. The page caps the loan amount a client can qualify for at $128,000. You invest at least $500 and complete an approved homebuyer education workshop. Only existing single-family homes or townhouses qualify, not new construction, mobile homes or condominiums. The city’s page, as captured March 24, 2025, listed income limits of $37,200 for one person to $53,100 for four. It noted that the limits can change without notice, so confirm them at 304-348-8035 ⁠¹³.
• Huntington, Cabell and Wayne counties: Homebuyer Assistance Program. The consortium lends 0% for 25% of the price, up to $25,000, with a $1,000 minimum loan. You repay it monthly over 15 years. If every condition is met for the first 10 years, the remaining balance is forgiven. The program caps housing costs at 35% of income and total debt at 43%. It requires a HUD-certified housing counseling course and a contribution of your own. The posted application, dated December 2022, still shows June 2022 limits: $36,650 to $69,050 in income, and a price cap of $144,000 for existing homes or $251,000 for new ones. Staff confirm the current figures ⁠¹⁴.
• Wheeling and the Northern Panhandle HOME Consortium. The program lends up to $10,000 as a deferred 0% loan that becomes a grant after five years in the home. For a family of four, the income limit is $64,500 in Wheeling, Ohio and Marshall counties and $64,000 in Weirton, Brooke and Hancock counties; both are June 1, 2024 figures still posted. Requirements: a housing counseling course (for example, CHANGE, Inc.), mortgage prequalification, a $50 refundable fee and $500 of your own money ⁠¹⁵.

Applying through a WVHDF partner lender, step by step

1. Look up your county

   Find your county on the Jan. 2, 2026 chart. Check whether all title holders’ combined income is under the limit and whether the county is targeted ⁠².

2. Pick the program

   If your income and ownership history qualify, use the Homeownership Program, which is the only way to get the Low Down Home Loan. Otherwise, ask about Movin’ Up ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

3. Contact a lender

   Call a WVHDF originator at 800-933-8511 or search Find a Lender by county. Ask whether the loan officer has closed Low Down Home Loans ⁠¹⁠¹².

4. Gather documents

   Bring pay stubs, W-2s, bank statements, one year of signed tax returns and three years of addresses with landlord names. Non-targeted county buyers need these to prove first-time status ⁠⁵⁠⁹.

5. Sign the affidavits

   Sign WVHDF’s Application Affidavit within three days of applying, and have the seller sign the Seller Affidavit before approval ⁠³.

6. Finish HomeView

   On a conventional loan, complete it through WVHDF’s free link no more than a year before closing ⁠⁹.

7. Lock and close

   The lender reserves funds in WVHDF’s system; a Homeownership Program lock lasts 60 days. The lender must request Low Down Home Loan funds before 2 p.m. the business day before closing ⁠¹⁰.

8. Add local money if you qualify

   HOME funds can be layered on WVHDF loans. Huntington accepts WVHDF prequalification, and WVHDF makes an exception to its 80% LTV rule for stacked federal and municipal funds ⁠¹⁰⁠¹⁴.

If one lender declines you, another partner lender or WVHDF’s own originators can review the file again. More states are on the first-time homebuyer grants page, and other West Virginia guides are on the West Virginia page.