Current down payment assistance guidelines, updated from one source.
The current program figures below are hydrated from Lendmire’s down payment assistance standards source at each visit, so the options shown for Bothell, WA are the options in force.
Of the purchase price
Up to this share of the price can come from assistance: the largest option reaches closing costs as well as the down payment, while the smaller options cover the 3.5% FHA minimum.
Covers the whole FHA down payment
The FHA minimum down payment is 3.5%, and this option covers all of it with no interest and no monthly payment; it is forgiven after 36 on-time payments on your first mortgage.
On every option offered here
Every option offered in Washington is open regardless of income, so there is no ceiling to stay under; the file is placed on the price, the credit score, and the home.
Credit score to start
The score that opens the forgivable options; the repayable options start a step higher. Two-borrower files may use a blended score on the second-lien options.
| Option | Assistance | What you repay | Credit · mortgage · 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 · five options offered in Washington · 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.
What down payment assistance is — and how the options differ.
The first-time home buyer programs work the same way in Bothell, WA as anywhere in the footprint: a government first lien, an assistance option sized as a percentage of the price, and a set of rules about credit, units, and eligibility that decide which option fits.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s down payment assistance program, or the statewide guide at Down Payment Assistance in Washington.
Assistance covers the FHA down payment
An FHA purchase asks for a minimum investment from the buyer; the assistance covers it, measured as a percentage of the lesser of price or value, and the largest option carries a further share for closing costs and prepaids.
Four shapes: grant, forgivable, repayable, refinance
For a Bothell buyer the choice is about cost to carry. The forgivable options cost nothing if the first lien stays current through the forgiveness period; the repayable option is a second loan with its own disclosure and a balloon that reaches closing costs.
Credit floors, mortgage programs, and unit counts
Two-borrower files can qualify on a blended score on the second-lien options when the higher earner has the higher score and an automated approval is in hand; every borrower still needs a score of their own.
Eligibility without a first-time-buyer rule
No option requires a first-time buyer, and no option carries an income limit beyond the first lien’s own rules; a Bothell buyer who has owned before qualifies on credit, first lien, and property alone.
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 Bothell’s first-time and moderate-income buyers shop — and how the assistance fits.
Where Bothell, WA’s renters live, what a median home costs, and what a median household earns — Census estimates give the backdrop for a down payment assistance file.
Citywide figures provide general market context, not an appraisal or an income calculation. A large renter share signals demand for the program; a moderate median value signals that the minimum investment is within the assistance’s reach; the two together describe where the program closes most files.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Bothell submarkets, distinct property rules.
Across Bothell’s established neighborhoods, county-limit homes, and rural edges, the same program produces different closings because prices, property types, and first liens differ block by block.
USDA-eligible areas
Much of the area around Bothell is USDA-eligible, which pairs a no-down-payment first lien with the second-lien assistance options; the assistance then covers closing costs and prepaids. Bothell counts a population near 50K.
Established neighborhoods
Buyers in Bothell’s core neighborhoods use the assistance to close the gap between qualifying for the payment and having the cash to close. The median owner-occupied home value in Bothell runs near $925,100 on the latest Census estimate.
Manufactured homes on owned land
In Bothell, a manufactured home on a fee-simple lot pairs with the assistance; the home’s width decides which option carries it. About 34% of Bothell’s households rent — roughly 6,710 renter households, the pool the program exists for.
New construction
For Bothell buyers under contract with a builder, the assistance is arranged with the first lien so the closing date holds. On a home at Bothell’s median value, the FHA minimum investment comes to about $32,400 — the figure the assistance is built to cover.
Two-to-four-unit homes, owner-occupied
In Bothell, owner-occupied small multi-unit buildings qualify for assistance when the buyer lives in one unit; the unit count decides which option applies. Median gross rent in Bothell is about $2,346 a month — the payment many renters already carry.
Homes that need work
In Bothell, a buyer can take on a fixer with a limited or standard renovation loan and the assistance attached, so the down payment and the repair budget are settled in one transaction. Median household income in Bothell sits near $140,427 on the latest Census estimate.
Submarket descriptions are general market context; the first lien’s approval, the option’s rules, and full underwriting decide every figure in a file.
Four ways Bothell buyers put down payment assistance to work.
From a first home to a small multi-unit building to an FHA refinance, down payment assistance in Bothell, WA solves a specific set of problems.
Buy a first home with the down payment covered
For a first purchase in Bothell, the assistance closes the down payment gap; the option is chosen by credit, first lien, and eligibility category.
Buy a home that needs work with a renovation mortgage
For an older Bothell home, the renovation first lien and the assistance fit together, with the assistance measured on the price rather than the repaired value.
Cover closing costs too on the larger option
The larger option exists for the Bothell, WA closing where the down payment is only half the problem: it carries the minimum investment and a further share for costs.
Cover the costs of an FHA refinance
Owners in Bothell with an FHA loan and little cash for a refinance use the refinance-cost option, subject to its own credit floor and combined-leverage limit.
Size the assistance on a Bothell price before requesting a quote.
The calculator does what a loan officer’s first pass does for a Bothell file — sizes the minimum investment, applies the option, builds the FHA loan with mortgage insurance, and estimates the payment — using the current program figures and an editable benchmark rate.
Bothell FHA payment with assistance
Starting assumptions reflect Bothell’s home values; change any field and the loan, the mortgage insurance, and the payment are recalculated.
Editable benchmark: 6.71% as of September 3, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not an FHA loan quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $600,000 price near Bothell’s median owner-occupied home value (kept where an FHA first lien is realistic), the strongest assistance option offered in Washington applied against the FHA minimum investment, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for Washington (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, four very different closings.
A Bothell, WA buyer can reach the closing table several ways; the difference is where the minimum investment comes from and what it costs to carry afterward.
Assistance on a government loan, saving the minimum, or a gift.
Assistance paired with the first lien at closing: the minimum investment covered, the shape chosen by credit, first lien, and eligibility category, and the second-lien options 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 second-lien options carry the Bothell file, and the closing costs are what the assistance covers. For the USDA first lien, see the USDA loan program.
If the payment fits but the cash to close does not, down payment assistance is the structure; if the cash is there, the plain purchase; if the property is USDA-eligible, the USDA first lien with assistance for costs.
What to prepare for a Bothell scenario review.
A typical starting file for a first purchase with assistance.
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.
Beyond the credit tier and the first lien, a handful of details decide which option a Bothell buyer can use — or whether the assistance attaches at all.
Use these checks to keep the Bothell file clean and fundable.
A clean Bothell file starts with the option chosen, the first lien matched to the property, and the homebuyer education course completed where it is required.
- Know the option: confirm the option is offered in the state.
- Understand the clock: keep the first lien current through the forgiveness period.
- Confirm the property: check the unit count against the option’s limit.
The option decides what you owe afterward
A forgivable second lien costs nothing if the first lien stays current through the forgiveness period; a repayable second lien is a loan with a balloon that reaches closing costs. A Bothell buyer chooses by cost to carry first and by amount second.
The forgiveness clock on the forgivable options
A forgivable second lien is released after the on-time payment period on the first lien — three years on one option, five on the other — with no interest and no payment in between; a serious delinquency inside the period keeps the lien in place.
Property type and unit count select the option
Before the contract is signed on a Bothell home, the unit count, the condominium status, the manufactured-home width and title, and any association package are checked against the option’s rules.
No stacking with other assistance
A Bothell buyer eligible for a local or employer program chooses between it and these options; they do not stack, so the comparison is made program against program before the contract is signed.
The balloon on the repayable option
The repayable option is the only purchase option that carries a payment; in exchange it covers the most and pairs with a high-balance first lien. Its terms are set by the program, never by this page.
From a Bothell pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place.
Lendmire runs a Bothell assistance file in a set order: pick the option, match the first lien, clear the property, close both liens together.
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 Bothell, WA buyer — settled before anything is ordered.
Get the mortgage approved
Lendmire packages the Bothell file for the first lien first, because the assistance follows its approval; the option’s floor and the first lien’s rules both have to clear.
Clear the property
The property side of a Bothell, WA 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 Bothell, WA 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 Bothell 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
A Bothell scenario is placed on the right option first — the credit tier, the first lien, and the category — and the rest of the file is then built to fit it, before anything is ordered.
The mortgage, matched to the property
USDA where the address is eligible, HUD-184 where the buyer qualifies, FHA everywhere; the Bothell, WA first lien is the foundation the assistance stands on.
The right wholesale program
Not every wholesale lender carries down payment assistance, and the ones that do differ on shape, floors, and states; Lendmire knows which is which.
Trusted by first-time buyers & families alike.
Bothell down payment assistance FAQs
Plain answers to the questions Bothell 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?
No option requires it. First-time status is not a rule of the program in Washington; the options open on the credit tier, the first-lien program, and the property.
Is there an income limit?
There is no income limit on the forgivable or repayable options; the first lien’s rules are the only income test a Bothell buyer meets.
What first-time home buyer programs are available in Bothell?
Three shapes paired with a government first lien: forgivable second liens with no interest and no payment, released after an on-time payment period; a repayable second lien with a balloon that also reaches closing costs and prepaids; and a refinance-cost option for an existing FHA loan. The options table on this page shows what is offered in Washington.
Do I have to pay the assistance back?
For a Bothell buyer, a forgivable second lien — it costs nothing to carry as long as the first lien stays current through the period; the options table on this page shows what each option costs to carry.
What credit score do I need?
A Bothell buyer’s credit tier decides which options are open — the options table on this page shows the floor for every option offered in Washington.
Which mortgages can the assistance be used with?
Government first liens only: FHA for every option, USDA and HUD-184 for the second-lien options.
Can the assistance cover closing costs too?
The repayable options reach closing costs; the others stop at the down payment. A Bothell buyer short on both uses the larger option.
What is the repayable option and when does it make sense?
The repayable second lien covers the minimum investment and closing costs; plan around its balloon and read its disclosures as the loan it is.
Can I combine this with another assistance program?
The options do not stack with each other or with local, state, or employer programs; a Bothell buyer eligible for more than one chooses the one that fits best.
Do I need a homebuyer education course?
No option offered in Washington requires it, though the course covers the budget, the closing, and the responsibilities that come with the first lien and is worth an evening.
Ready to size the assistance on a Bothell home? Start with the price.
A first read of a Bothell 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 Bothell — for the statewide options, categories, and property rules, see Down Payment Assistance in Washington, part of Lendmire’s down payment assistance program.
Also in Washington: Yakima · Longview · Wenatchee · Ocean Shores · FHA Loans · USDA Loans