Comprando uma Casa e Obtendo um Financiamento Imobiliário · Lesson 2 of 3
Ajuda com Entrada e Tipos de Empréstimos em DC, Maryland e Virgínia
Compare tipos comuns de empréstimos, encontre ajuda com entrada e custos de fechamento em DC, Maryland e Virgínia, entenda seguros hipotecários e organize seu dinheiro para fechar.
Completed on this device
Parts of this lesson are not translated into your language yet, so they are shown in English.
In this lesson
What you will learn
- Compare empréstimos convencionais, FHA, VA e USDA e seus pagamentos mínimos de entrada.
- Encontre ajuda com entrada e custos de fechamento em DC, Maryland e Virgínia, e confira as regras de cada programa.
- Explique o seguro hipotecário e quando o seguro hipotecário privado pode ser removido.
- Calcule o dinheiro que você precisa no fechamento, com ou sem ajuda.
How this connects to class: Na aula, você aprendeu sobre tipos de hipotecas e como elas funcionam. Esta lição acrescenta os programas locais que podem ajudar compradores da região de DC com a entrada, as regras para checar e um exemplo prático de liquidar para fechar.
Words to know
- Empréstimo convencional (Conventional loan)
- Uma hipoteca que não é segurada ou garantida por uma agência governamental. Muitas são vendidas para a Fannie Mae ou Freddie Mac.
- Empréstimo FHA (FHA loan)
- Uma hipoteca segurada pela Administração Federal de Habitação, que faz parte do HUD. Permite uma entrada baixa, mas cobra seguro hipotecário.
- Seguro hipotecário privado (PMI) (Private mortgage insurance (PMI))
- Seguro que protege o credor, não você, caso você pare de pagar um empréstimo convencional. Geralmente é exigido quando você dá menos de 20%.
- Assistência para entrada (Down payment assistance)
- Dinheiro de um programa que ajuda a pagar sua entrada ou custos de fechamento. Pode ser uma bolsa, que você não paga, ou um empréstimo.
- Empréstimo diferido (Deferred loan)
- Um empréstimo sem pagamentos mensais por um período de tempo. Você paga depois, geralmente quando vende, refinancia ou para de morar na casa.
- Dinheiro para fechar (Cash to close)
- O valor total que você deve levar para o fechamento: seu pagamento inicial e custos de fechamento, descontando quaisquer créditos ou ajuda.
- Comprador de primeira viagem (First-time homebuyer)
- Para muitos programas, uma pessoa que não possui uma casa nos últimos três anos. Cada programa estabelece sua própria regra.
Loan types at a glance
Most buyers use one of four kinds of mortgage. The biggest differences are how much you must put down, who can qualify, and what kind of mortgage insurance you pay.
| Loan type | Down payment | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional | As low as 3% for some loans | With less than 20% down, you usually pay PMI. You can remove PMI later. |
| FHA | As low as 3.5% | Has mortgage insurance, often for the life of the loan. Since May 25, 2025, non-permanent residents, such as people on work visas, cannot get FHA loans. |
| VA | No down payment for eligible buyers, if the price is not higher than the appraised value | For eligible service members, veterans, and some surviving spouses. No monthly mortgage insurance, but you may pay a one-time funding fee. |
| USDA | No down payment for eligible buyers | For low- and moderate-income buyers in eligible rural areas. Homes in cities such as DC do not qualify. You can check an address on the USDA eligibility website. |
If you are not a U.S. citizen or green card holder, ask each lender which loans you can get. Rules for conventional loans are different from FHA rules, and some local lenders offer their own loans for ITIN borrowers. A housing counselor can help you find them. Since June 2026, federal regulators have asked banks to look more closely at customers who use an ITIN. Some may ask for more documents or say no, so ask before you apply.
Help in DC: HPAP and DC Open Doors
Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP)
The DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) runs HPAP, and the DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) helps manage it. HPAP gives interest-free loans to help low- and moderate-income first-time buyers buy a home in DC.
- Who: first-time buyers. For HPAP, that means you have not owned any home or other residential property in the last three years. DC residents come first. Some people who have worked in DC for at least a year can also apply.
- Where: the home must be in DC, and it must be your main home.
- How much: it depends on your income and household size. DHCD updates its table every year.
- Repayment: lower-income buyers make no monthly payments. Moderate-income buyers start making payments in the sixth year. The whole loan is due if you sell, refinance (with some exceptions), or stop living in the home.
- How to apply: through a community organization, such as Housing Counseling Services, the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), or MANNA.
HPAP money is limited. For fiscal year 2026, DHCD said it would help applicants first-come, first-served. Funding and rules can change each fiscal year. DC's fiscal year starts on October 1, so ask a counselor early about timing.
DC Open Doors
DC Open Doors, from DCHFA, offers home loans with down payment help for homes in DC. As of September 2026, its website said:
- First-time and repeat buyers can use it, and you do not need to live in DC now.
- There is an income limit, and the minimum credit score is 640.
- A down payment assistance loan can cover your full minimum down payment.
- That loan has 0% interest and no monthly payments. It is due after 30 years, or sooner if you sell, refinance, or stop living in the home.
Help in Maryland and Virginia
Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP)
- 1st Time Advantage loans are for first-time buyers. This includes people who have not owned a main home in the last three years. Some veterans and some buyers in certain targeted areas can also qualify.
- Flex loans are for first-time or repeat buyers.
- Most MMP loans come with down payment help as a 0% deferred loan. In 2026, options included a flat $6,000, or an amount equal to 3%, 4%, or 5% of the first mortgage. You repay it when the first mortgage ends, for example when you sell or refinance.
- If an approved partner, such as some employers, gives you help, MMP may match it with up to $2,500 more on some loans.
- Every borrower must take an approved homebuyer education class.
- There are special loans for buyers in Montgomery County and Prince George's County.
- You apply through an MMP-approved lender.
Virginia Housing
- Virginia Housing makes home loans through approved lenders, with income and price limits.
- Its Down Payment Assistance Grant is a true grant, so you never repay it. It is for first-time buyers, and for repeat buyers in certain areas, who use an eligible Virginia Housing loan.
- A Closing Cost Assistance Grant can help buyers who get a VA or USDA loan through Virginia Housing. It is also never repaid.
- Many Virginia Housing loans require its free homebuyer class. You can take it in person or online. The online course takes about eight hours.
Some counties and cities in the region also run their own programs. A HUD-approved housing counselor can tell you which ones fit you.
Rules to check before you count on help
Every program has its own rules. Ask these questions before you make an offer on a home:
- What is the income limit for my household size?
- Is there a limit on the home price?
- How does the program define a first-time buyer?
- Must I live in the home as my main home? For how long?
- Is a homebuyer class required? Which classes count?
- What minimum credit score and maximum DTI do I need?
- How much of my own money must I put in?
- Is it a grant or a loan? If it is a loan, when must I repay it: when I sell, refinance, move out, or after a set number of years?
- Can I combine it with other programs?
- Does it accept buyers with my immigration status or an ITIN?
- Is money available now, and how long does approval take?
- Which lenders are approved to use this program?
Get the answers in writing. Program rules and dollar amounts change, often at the start of a new fiscal year.
Mortgage insurance: PMI and FHA premiums
When you put down a small amount, the lender takes more risk. Mortgage insurance protects the lender if you stop paying. It does not protect you, but it is what makes a low down payment possible.
PMI on conventional loans
With less than 20% down on a conventional loan, you usually pay private mortgage insurance (PMI) as part of your monthly payment. Federal law gives you two main ways to end it:
- You can ask your servicer in writing to cancel PMI when your loan balance is scheduled to reach 80% of the home's original value. You need a good payment history and must meet other conditions, such as showing the home has not lost value.
- Your servicer must end PMI automatically when your balance is scheduled to reach 78% of the original value, if you are current on your payments.
FHA mortgage insurance
FHA loans charge two premiums. As of September 2026, the upfront premium is 1.75% of the loan amount, and it can be added to the loan. There is also a yearly premium, paid as part of your monthly payment. For most buyers who put down 3.5%, the yearly premium is 0.55% of the loan, and it lasts for the life of the loan. If you put down 10% or more, it ends after 11 years. Some owners later refinance into a conventional loan to stop paying it.
$350,000 home − $12,250 down = $337,750 loan; $337,750 × 0.55% ÷ 12 = about $155 a month at the start
Example
Worked example: cash to close on a $350,000 home
Mekdes works at a hospital in DC. She is buying a $350,000 condo in DC with an FHA loan and 3.5% down. Her Loan Estimate shows $10,500 in closing costs, including prepaid taxes and insurance. (Closing costs vary a lot. This number is only an example.)
$350,000 × 3.5% = $12,250 down payment
| Item | Without help | With a down payment assistance loan |
|---|---|---|
| Down payment (3.5%) | $12,250 | $12,250 |
| Closing costs and prepaid items | $10,500 | $10,500 |
| Down payment assistance loan | $0 | −$12,250 |
| Cash Mekdes must bring | $22,750 | $10,500 |
The assistance loan cuts her cash to close by more than half. But it is not free money. With a program like DC Open Doors, she must repay the $12,250 when she sells, refinances, or moves out, or after 30 years. If the seller agrees to pay part of her closing costs, she would need even less cash. She should also plan to keep emergency savings after closing, instead of spending every dollar she has.
Watch out
Do not pay for lists of free money
Some websites and callers promise free government money for your down payment if you pay a fee first. Others ask for your Social Security number or bank login to check if you qualify. The real programs in this lesson are listed for free on official websites, and HUD-approved counselors can help you apply for little or no cost. Never pay for a list of grants, and never give your bank login to anyone.
Tip
Ask lenders the right question
Before you choose a lender, ask: "Are you approved to make loans with [program name]? How many of these loans did you close this year?" A lender that uses the program often can help you avoid delays.
Key takeaways
- Alguns empréstimos exigem apenas 3% ou 3,5% de entrada, e empréstimos VA e USDA podem não exigir entrada para compradores elegíveis.
- DC, Maryland e Virginia possuem programas que ajudam com a entrada ou custos de fechamento. Muitos são empréstimos que você paga ao vender, refinanciar ou se mudar.
- Antes de escolher uma casa, verifique o limite de renda de cada programa, a regra para compradores de primeira viagem, o requisito da classe e as regras de pagamento.
- Com um empréstimo convencional, você pode pedir para cancelar o PMI quando seu saldo estiver programado para atingir 80% do valor original da casa.
- Dinheiro para fechar é o seu valor inicial mais os custos de fechamento, descontando qualquer ajuda. Mantenha as economias de emergência após o fechamento também.
Check your understanding
Answer the questions, then select Check my answers. Get 5 of 6 right to complete this lesson. This is practice: there is no time limit, and we do not keep your answers.
Go further
Trusted websites where you can learn more. These links go to other websites that Dollar Scholars does not run.
-
Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) (another website)
DC's interest-free loans for low- and moderate-income first-time buyers, with current income and assistance tables.
-
DC Open Doors (another website)
Home loans with down payment help for first-time and repeat buyers purchasing in DC.
-
Maryland Mortgage Program (another website)
Maryland's home loans with down payment and closing cost help, plus income and price limit tools.
-
Virginia Housing: homebuyers (another website)
Virginia's first-time homebuyer loans, down payment and closing cost grants, and free homebuyer classes.
This lesson is general financial education, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules and amounts change, so check important numbers with an official source.