Current down payment assistance guidelines, updated from one source.
The snapshot below is not typed onto this page — it is pulled from one down payment assistance guideline source and refreshed when that source changes, so DeSoto, TX always shows the options in force.
Of the purchase price
The largest option is a repayable second lien that covers your down payment and can reach closing costs and prepaids too; the smaller options cover the 3.5% FHA minimum down payment, in whole or, on the lowest tier, in part.
Covers the FHA down payment, in whole or in part
This covers the 3.5% FHA minimum down payment in whole or, on its lower tier, in part, and is forgiven at closing: no lien on the home, no monthly payment, no interest. It opens on the area income limit or on a qualifying category.
On the forgivable and repayable options
The forgivable and repayable options have no income limit at all — one of the biggest advantages of this program. Only the nothing-to-repay option asks for income at or below 140% of the area median, or a qualifying category.
Credit score to start
This is the lowest score that opens an option here — the nothing-to-repay option; the forgivable second liens start a little higher and the repayable options higher still, so a stronger score opens more choices.
| Option | Assistance | What you repay | Credit · mortgage · units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant-style assistance — nothing to repay | 2% or 3.5% of the price | Nothing — released at closing | 620+ · FHA 203(b), FHA repair escrow, FHA Limited 203(k), FHA Standard 203(k) · 1–4 units |
| Forgivable second lien — three-year | 3.5% of the price | Nothing after 36 on-time mortgage payments | 640+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Forgivable second lien — five-year | 3.5% of the price | Nothing after 60 on-time mortgage payments | 640+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Repayable second lien — thirty-year amortization, ten-year balloon | 3.5% or 5% of the price | Second lien, 30-year amortization, balloon in year 10 | 660+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Closing-cost repayable second lien | 3.5% or 5% of the price | Second lien, 30-year amortization, balloon in year 10 | 660+ · FHA 203(b) · 1–2 units |
| Refinance-cost second lien (repayable) | 1% to 3.5% of the balance | Second lien, repaid | 660+ · FHA 203(b) · 1–4 units |
Current down payment assistance snapshot · updated September 7, 2026 · six options offered in Texas · no option requires a first-time buyer · no option combines with another assistance program · owner-occupied primary residences only.
This page describes down payment assistance at the program level. The option for any file comes from the credit tier, the first lien, the property, and the eligibility category; the first lien’s approval, the appraisal, and full underwriting decide the actual terms, subject to lender program eligibility. Nothing here is a quote, a fee, or a commitment to lend; the calculator’s rate is a market benchmark you can edit and its payment an estimate. Lendmire is never the lender and is not affiliated with FHA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government. Lendmire, LLC — NMLS #2371349. Equal Housing Opportunity.
What down payment assistance is — and how the options differ.
For DeSoto, TX buyers, the first-time home buyer programs come down to three parts: the first lien carries most of the price, the assistance covers the minimum investment, and the shape of the assistance — nothing to repay, forgivable, or repayable — decides what it costs to carry.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s down payment assistance program, or the statewide guide at Down Payment Assistance in Texas.
Assistance covers the FHA down payment
In DeSoto, TX, the assistance attaches to the first lien at closing and covers the buyer’s required investment; on the larger option, what remains after the minimum investment goes toward closing costs.
Four shapes: grant, forgivable, repayable, refinance
Nothing to repay, forgiven over time, or repaid with a balloon: the three purchase shapes in DeSoto, TX cover the same minimum investment and differ in what the buyer owes afterward, and a fourth, the refinance-cost option, serves an existing FHA loan.
Credit floors, mortgage programs, and unit counts
A DeSoto file is placed by three things — the credit tier, the first-lien program, and the property — and the options table on this page shows the floor, the first liens, and the unit limit for every option offered in Texas.
Eligibility without a first-time-buyer rule
Eligibility is broader than most buyers expect: repeat buyers qualify, income limits apply only to the nothing-to-repay option, and the categories that open it include first responders, educators, medical personnel, civil servants, and military.
Enter a price, choose an option, and add your own cash. The calculator sizes the minimum investment, splits the assistance between the down payment and closing costs, and estimates the FHA payment with mortgage insurance, taxes, insurance, and dues.
Where DeSoto’s first-time and moderate-income buyers shop — and how the assistance fits.
Market data for DeSoto, TX frame the question every assistance file answers: at this price, how large is the minimum investment, and which option covers it?
These are context figures, not underwriting inputs. In most markets, the renter households are the pool the program exists for: qualified for a payment close to their rent, short the cash to close; the assistance is the bridge from one to the other.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct DeSoto submarkets, distinct property rules.
A down payment assistance file in DeSoto reads differently by submarket — condominium approval, association packages, unit counts, and USDA eligibility all shift from one to the next.
Manufactured homes on owned land
For DeSoto buyers choosing manufactured housing, the assistance is available on owned land, with the option set by the home’s width. On a home at DeSoto’s median value, the FHA minimum investment comes to about $11,200 — the figure the assistance is built to cover.
Homes that need work
The older stock in DeSoto pairs with a renovation first lien and the assistance together: the help is figured on the purchase price, and the loan covers price plus repairs. The median owner-occupied home value in DeSoto runs near $319,400 on the latest Census estimate.
New construction
New construction in and around DeSoto works with the program; the appraisal and the builder’s timeline set the pace, and the assistance closes with the first lien. About 30% of DeSoto’s households rent — roughly 6,288 renter households, the pool the program exists for.
USDA-eligible areas
Where a property near DeSoto sits in a USDA-eligible area, the USDA first lien and the forgivable or ten-year repayable options fit together, keeping cash to close near zero for buyers who qualify. DeSoto itself counts a population near 56K.
Small multi-unit homes, owner-occupied
In DeSoto, owner-occupied small multi-unit buildings qualify for assistance when the buyer lives in one unit, up to four units on a purchase; the unit count decides which option applies. Median household income in DeSoto sits near $82,782 on the latest Census estimate.
Established neighborhoods
In DeSoto, a first home in an older neighborhood pairs with the program on an FHA first lien, and the assistance covers the down payment the buyer would otherwise have to save. Median gross rent in DeSoto is about $1,666 a month — the payment many renters already carry.
Read the submarkets as orientation. The file’s figures come from the first lien, the option, and the program’s rules.
Four ways DeSoto buyers put down payment assistance to work.
Down payment assistance in DeSoto, TX is used for more than a first purchase; these are the structures DeSoto buyers ask about most.
Buy a home that needs work with a renovation mortgage
For an older DeSoto home, the renovation first lien and the assistance fit together, with the assistance measured on the purchase price rather than the repaired value.
Buy a small multi-unit home and live in one unit
House-hacking in DeSoto, TX pairs with the program when the buyer occupies a unit; the unit count decides which option applies, and the first lien carries the building.
Pair the assistance with a USDA or HUD-184 mortgage
A DeSoto, TX buyer on a USDA or HUD-184 first lien uses the second-lien options, forgivable or repayable; the nothing-to-repay option pairs only with FHA first liens.
Cover the costs of an FHA refinance
Owners in DeSoto with an FHA loan and little cash for a refinance use the refinance-cost option, subject to its own credit floor and the combined-leverage limit it carries.
Size the assistance on a DeSoto price before requesting a quote.
This tool applies the program to a DeSoto scenario: the price sets the minimum investment, the option and your cash set the down payment, and the FHA loan, mortgage insurance, and payment follow at the benchmark rate shown. Every field is editable; the rate is a market reference, not a quote.
DeSoto FHA payment with assistance
Illustrative DeSoto inputs; the calculator recalculates on every change.
Editable benchmark: 7.28% as of October 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not an FHA loan quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $320,000 price near DeSoto’s median owner-occupied home value, the strongest assistance option offered in Texas applied against the FHA minimum investment, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for Texas (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, a market reference and not an FHA loan quote; your rate is set by the lender at lock. FHA mortgage insurance follows HUD’s published schedule for the term, leverage and loan size entered; taxes, insurance and dues are editable estimates; closing costs are not included; a repayable second lien adds its own payment, which is not shown here. Consumer mortgage lending licensed in sixteen states. Lendmire is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of FHA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government.
Same buyer, three very different closings.
Down payment assistance is one of the ways a DeSoto buyer covers the minimum investment; each has a different cost after closing.
Assistance on an FHA loan, your own down payment, or assistance on a USDA or HUD-184 loan.
Assistance that closes with the first lien: it covers the minimum investment; its shape is chosen by the credit tier and the first lien, with the eligibility category where the nothing-to-repay option is in play, and the second-lien options stay open to repeat buyers with no income limit.
Paying the minimum investment yourself keeps the closing simplest — no second lien, no category, no course; the trade is the months or years of saving that the assistance replaces. For the first lien itself, see Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
Where the property is USDA-eligible or the buyer qualifies for HUD-184, the forgivable options and the ten-year repayable option carry the DeSoto file; the separate closing-cost option is FHA only. For the USDA first lien, see the USDA loan program.
Assistance fits the buyer short of cash to close; the plain purchase fits the buyer with savings; the USDA and HUD-184 pairing fits eligible properties and borrowers — Lendmire places the DeSoto, TX file where it reads best.
What to prepare for a DeSoto scenario review.
The documents a lender reads first on an assistance file.
This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the mortgage, the assistance option, the property, and the eligibility category. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the loan.
The assistance is the easy part; the rules around it are where DeSoto, TX files stall. These are the ones that most often change a file’s shape.
Use these checks to keep the DeSoto file clean and fundable.
Settle the option, the first lien, the property’s eligibility, and the category before the appraisal is ordered; a DeSoto file that clears these reads cleanly.
- Know the option: confirm the option is offered in the state.
- Confirm the category: settle which category applies before the application is signed.
- Do not stack: choose one assistance program.
The option decides what you owe afterward
The same minimum investment can be covered three ways on a purchase in DeSoto, TX, and the difference is entirely in what happens after closing: nothing, nothing if the first lien stays current, or a second loan that comes due; the options table shows what is offered.
The eligibility category for the nothing-to-repay option
The category is checked at application on the nothing-to-repay option, together with the signed assistance application and the education certificate; no option requires a first-time buyer, and the second-lien options carry no income limit.
No stacking with other assistance
No option may be combined with another down payment assistance program in DeSoto, TX, and the nothing-to-repay and forgivable options do not combine with a high-balance first lien; one assistance option, one first lien, one closing.
Blended scores for two-borrower files
On the second-lien options, two occupying borrowers can qualify on the average of their representative scores when the higher earner has the higher score; the loan must carry an automated approval, and every borrower still needs a score.
Escrow holdbacks for minor repairs
A DeSoto home with a small repair list does not have to wait for the work before closing; the escrow holdback carries it, within the program’s cap and timeline, with an inspection when the work is done.
From a DeSoto pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place.
The path from a DeSoto pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place runs through the option first and the paperwork second.
Pick the option
The first step is the option: which ones the credit opens, which the first lien allows, and which costs the least to carry for a DeSoto, TX buyer — settled before anything is ordered.
Get the mortgage approved
The first lien’s approval carries the file; the assistance is arranged alongside it, with the eligibility category and the education certificate in hand where they apply.
Clear the property
The property side of a DeSoto, TX file is where the option can change: unit count, project approval, and the loan limit are confirmed before the closing is scheduled.
Close both loans together
Final underwriting reads the whole DeSoto, TX file against the first lien’s rules and the option’s; the loan funds with the assistance in place and the second lien, where there is one, recorded behind it.
A brokerage that pairs the assistance to the loan.
Pairing the right assistance to the right first lien for a DeSoto buyer means knowing which option the credit opens, which the property allows, and what each costs to carry — before the contract is signed.
The option, matched to the buyer
The nothing-to-repay option where it fits, the forgivable options where it does not, the repayable option where closing costs are the hurdle — chosen for the DeSoto, TX buyer, not by default.
The mortgage, matched to the property
FHA, USDA, or HUD-184 is chosen with the DeSoto property — its address, its unit count, its type — so the assistance option that pairs with it is the one that attaches.
The right wholesale program
A DeSoto file is matched to the wholesale program whose option fits the buyer, and Lendmire manages the first lien and the assistance together through closing.
Trusted by first-time buyers & families alike.
DeSoto down payment assistance FAQs
Plain answers to the questions DeSoto buyers ask most about down payment assistance, before you request a review. Every file is underwritten individually; nothing here is a commitment.
Do I have to be a first-time homebuyer?
Not for any option. First-time status is one path into the nothing-to-repay option, not a requirement of the program.
Is there an income limit?
Income limits apply to one option only — the nothing-to-repay grant — and only for buyers outside its categories. Everything else on this page is open at any income, which is why higher-earning DeSoto households use it.
What first-time home buyer programs are available in DeSoto?
Down payment help in four shapes for a DeSoto, TX buyer: money with nothing to repay, a forgivable second lien that costs nothing while the mortgage stays current, a repayable second lien that reaches closing costs, and a refinance-cost option for an existing FHA loan. The forgivable and ten-year repayable shapes pair with an FHA, USDA, or HUD-184 mortgage; the rest pair with FHA only.
Do I have to pay the assistance back?
Where the nothing-to-repay option is offered, nothing at all — no lien, no payment, no interest. The forgivable second liens are also free to carry: no payment and no interest, and they disappear once you have made the on-time mortgage payments the program asks for. Only the repayable option comes with a payment.
What credit score do I need?
A DeSoto buyer’s credit tier decides which options are open — the options table on this page shows the floor for every option offered in Texas.
Can I use the assistance on a second home or a rental?
Primary residences only. Investment properties and second homes are outside the program.
What if my mortgage is above the county loan limit?
Above the county limit, the repayable options carry the assistance; below it, every option is available. The price and the limit are settled before the option is chosen.
How does a forgivable second lien work — the small second loan behind the mortgage?
It is a lien that costs nothing to carry and disappears on schedule; the clock runs with the first lien’s payments.
What property types are eligible?
Most primary-residence property types, with the condominium’s approval, the manufactured home’s width and title, and the unit count deciding which option attaches.
Do I need a homebuyer education course?
On the nothing-to-repay option, yes — a HUD-approved course, online or in person, with the cost credited back at closing. The second-lien options do not require it, though the course is worth taking on any first purchase.
The down payment is the hurdle. Let us clear it.
A first read of a DeSoto assistance scenario takes a few minutes and commits you to nothing; the option, the category, and the property rules are explained before anything is ordered.
This guide covers DeSoto — for the statewide options, categories, and property rules, see Down Payment Assistance in Texas, part of Lendmire’s down payment assistance program.
Nearby markets in Texas: Grand Prairie · Waxahachie · Dallas · Mansfield · Arlington · Irving · Mesquite · Euless
Related programs: FHA Loans · USDA Loans · FHA 203(k) Rehab Loans