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Arizona Down Payment Assistance: Agent Quick Reference

Three lender-delivered Arizona DPA options on one page: where each works, what it gives, and the details that can change a buyer's plan. Built for buyer's agents; share it freely.

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I can assist with your home loan in 49 states, excluding New York.

This reference compares three lender-delivered down payment assistance options reviewed September 5, 2026: Home Plus (statewide), Home in Five Advantage (Maricopa County), and Arizona IDA's rural Arizona Is Home program (13 rural counties). The broader state Arizona Is Home initiative also supports separate Maricopa and Pima County offerings. Assistance is reserved through a participating lender as part of the loan. Here is the side-by-side, followed by the details that commonly change a buyer's options. This page is part of the free realtor toolkit.

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Arizona down payment assistance programs compared, reviewed against current program documents September 5, 2026.
	Home Plus	Home in Five Advantage	Arizona IDA's rural Arizona Is Home
Where	Statewide, every county and zip in Arizona	Maricopa County only, including Phoenix	Thirteen rural counties; unavailable in Maricopa County, Pima County, and Chino Valley
Assistance	Up to 4% of the loan amount, toward down payment and closing costs	Up to 6% of the loan amount, in tiers selected with the lender	4% of the loan amount
Second lien	Forgivable: forgiven in full at the 5-year mark; repaid if sold or refinanced sooner	3-year monthly forgiveness; 10-year amortizing second with no forgiveness; 30-year forgiveness only at maturity. The 7-year allocation was fully utilized June 25, 2026	Not forgivable: deferred with no payment, repaid in full at sale or refinance
Credit floor	620+ per current program documents	640+	620+
First-time buyer?	Not required	Not required for currently available Advantage options; the exhausted 7-year option required first-time status and 6 months of Arizona residency	Required (3-year lookback); veterans and targeted areas exempt
First mortgages	FHA, VA, USDA, conventional (HFA), HUD-184	FHA, VA, conventional (HFA); no USDA	FHA, VA, USDA, conventional (HFA), HUD-184
Buyer education	One borrower, approved course, before closing	Every borrower, 8-hour course through a HUD-approved Arizona agency	One borrower, approved course, before closing
Funding	Year-round, does not deplete	Varies by option. The 7-year Advantage allocation was fully utilized June 25, 2026, with no additional funds expected; Platinum funds were fully utilized June 9	$55 million annual cap for 2026; pauses when exhausted. Confirm current availability before reserving
Income cap	Yes, single statewide figure, changes periodically	Yes, single program figure, changes periodically	Yes, by county. Uses Gross Annual Compliance Income from all income sources for people on the note and/or title, not only mortgage qualifying income

About those income caps: Home Plus updated its statewide limit in April 2026. Arizona IDA's rural Arizona Is Home program adopted new county limits effective July 1, 2026 and uses a broader compliance-income calculation than mortgage qualifying income. Home in Five's published consumer page and lender guidelines show different dollar limits, so use the controlling lender system when the loan is reserved. Text Dan the county and rough household income at (610) 999-4710 and he will check the current program documents.

Home Plus: what trips agents up

The assistance is a percentage of the loan amount, not the purchase price
Forgiveness is a 5-year cliff: sell or refinance inside 60 months and the full amount is repaid, and the lien is never subordinated
Arizona IDA sets the Home Plus first-mortgage rates; they are the same across approved participating lenders and change with the market, so compare the rate and total cost with non-DPA financing
The old extra 1% for military borrowers is discontinued; ignore "up to 5%" claims still floating around online

Home in Five: what trips agents up

Current program matrices do not include the former extra 1% assistance for teachers, first responders, or military borrowers
The 7-year forgivable allocation was fully utilized June 25, 2026, with no additional funds expected
The 10-year second is amortizing at 6% with a separate monthly payment and no principal forgiveness; the 30-year conventional second has no forgiveness until maturity
Manufactured homes are eligible under current matrices with a 660 minimum FICO, 45% maximum DTI, and property restrictions including a 1994 or later construction date
The 8-hour education course applies to every borrower, including repeat buyers

Arizona IDA's rural Arizona Is Home: what trips agents up

Relaunched April 6, 2026 without forgiveness: older articles describing a 5-year forgivable second are out of date
Repaid in full at sale or refinance, and never subordinated
First-time-buyer rule with a 3-year lookback; veterans and targeted areas are exempt
A purchase price cap applies, and annual funding can pause mid-year, so reserve early
The 2026 allocation is capped at $55 million; confirm funds are available before reservation

How a reservation actually happens

The buyer never applies to the program; a participating lender reserves the assistance during loan setup
Dan runs the scenario across all three programs and the wholesale lender lineup, because a bigger assistance percentage can lose to better first-mortgage terms
Send the county, price point, and rough income; you get back which programs fit and what the buyer's real option set looks like

Program details reviewed against current Arizona IDA, Arizona Department of Housing, and Home in Five documents on September 5, 2026

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