Current down payment assistance guidelines, updated from one source.
One source feeds every down payment assistance page Lendmire publishes; the Redmond, WA figures below refresh when the program sheets are updated.
Of the purchase price
Assistance is sized as a share of the price, never a fixed sum: the biggest option covers the down payment and reaches closing costs, the smaller ones cover the 3.5% FHA minimum down payment.
Covers the whole FHA down payment
No payment and no interest on the assistance: it covers the entire 3.5% FHA minimum down payment and is forgiven after 36 or 60 on-time first-mortgage payments.
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
This is the lowest score that opens an option here — the forgivable second liens; the repayable options start a little higher, so a stronger score opens more choices.
| 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.
Down payment assistance options are consumer mortgage programs arranged through select wholesale lenders, licensed in sixteen states, paired with FHA, USDA, or HUD-184 first liens. Assistance is stated as a percentage of price or value, never as a dollar figure a specific borrower would receive; the forgivable and repayable options are second liens with their own disclosures. Eligibility depends on the first lien’s approval, the option’s rules, the property, and full underwriting, subject to lender program eligibility. The calculator’s rate is an editable market benchmark, not a quote, and its payment is an illustrative estimate; no fee or lender identity appears on this page. Lendmire is a mortgage broker and never the lender, and is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of FHA, VA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government. Lendmire, LLC — NMLS #2371349. Equal Housing Opportunity.
What down payment assistance is — and how the options differ.
The first-time home buyer programs in Redmond, WA answer the most common reason a qualified buyer does not close — the cash to close — with assistance measured on the price and shaped to the buyer’s situation.
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
In Redmond, WA, 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.
Three shapes: forgivable, repayable, refinance
For a Redmond 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, and it reaches closing costs.
Credit floors, mortgage programs, and unit counts
A Redmond 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 Washington.
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 Redmond buyer who has owned before qualifies on credit, first lien, and property alone.
The assistance is measured on the price, so the calculator starts there. It then applies the option you choose, your own cash, and an editable benchmark rate to show the loan, the mortgage insurance, and the payment.
Where Redmond’s first-time and moderate-income buyers shop — and how the assistance fits.
Census estimates give the backdrop for a down payment assistance file: where Redmond, WA’s renters live, what a median home costs, and what a median household earns.
Read the figures as backdrop. 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 Redmond submarkets, distinct property rules.
The metropolitan market around Redmond splits into distinct pockets; a lender underwrites the home in front of it, but the pocket sets the expectations.
Condominiums close to work
Buyers in Redmond’s condominium buildings use the program to bridge the down payment, with the building’s approval status settled early so the closing is not held up. The median owner-occupied home value in Redmond runs near $1,167,800 on the latest Census estimate.
Townhomes and attached homes
In Redmond, a townhome in a planned development pairs cleanly with the program; the association’s rules and dues are read alongside the first lien, and the assistance covers the down payment. Median gross rent in Redmond is about $2,409 a month — the payment many renters already carry.
Manufactured homes on owned land
For Redmond buyers looking at manufactured housing, the assistance is available on owned land, with single-width homes reaching only the option that accepts them. On a home at Redmond’s median value, the FHA minimum investment comes to about $40,900 — the figure the assistance is built to cover.
Older neighborhoods and renovation loans
Renovation purchases in Redmond qualify for the assistance on the price before repairs, which lets a buyer take on a home that needs work without also finding the minimum investment. Redmond itself counts a population near 77K; it sits within the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area.
Small multi-unit homes, owner-occupied
A buyer who lives in one unit of a Redmond duplex can use the program on the whole building; a second-lien option, which stops at two units, makes a house-hacking purchase reachable with the minimum investment covered. Median household income in Redmond sits near $162,560 on the latest Census estimate.
New construction and infill
Infill and new-build homes in Redmond pair with the assistance as long as the property is the buyer’s primary residence and the first lien is a government program. About 57% of Redmond’s households rent — roughly 18,798 renter households, the pool the program exists for.
Read the submarkets as orientation. The file’s figures come from the first lien, the option, and the program’s rules.
Four ways Redmond buyers put down payment assistance to work.
Down payment assistance in Redmond, WA is used for more than a first purchase; these are the structures Redmond buyers ask about most.
Buy a small multi-unit home and live in one unit
House-hacking in Redmond, WA pairs with the program when the buyer occupies a unit; the unit count decides which option applies, and the first lien carries the building.
Cover closing costs too on the larger option
The larger option exists for the Redmond, WA closing where the down payment is only half the problem: it carries the minimum investment and a further share for costs.
Buy a first home with the down payment covered
For a first purchase in Redmond, the assistance closes the down payment gap; the option is chosen by credit and first lien, and the rest of the file is an ordinary FHA purchase.
Pair the assistance with a USDA or HUD-184 mortgage
Where the first lien is USDA or HUD-184, the second-lien assistance options carry the file in Redmond, forgivable or repayable by the buyer’s choice and credit profile.
Size the assistance on a Redmond price before requesting a quote.
Run a Redmond price through the options before you request a quote: the minimum investment, the assistance applied, what is left for closing costs, the mortgage insurance tier, and the estimated payment. Enter income to see the ratios a lender reads.
Redmond FHA payment with assistance
Illustrative Redmond 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 $600,000 price held below Redmond’s median owner-occupied home value, 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, three very different closings.
Same Redmond buyer, three closings: assistance on an FHA loan, the buyer’s own minimum investment, or assistance on a USDA or HUD-184 loan.
Assistance on an FHA loan, your own down payment, or assistance on a USDA or HUD-184 loan.
The structure for a Redmond buyer who qualifies for the payment but not the cash to close — the help is sized on the price and the option decides what, if anything, is owed afterward.
For a Redmond, WA buyer with the cash in hand, the plain FHA purchase is the cleaner file; the assistance exists for the buyer who does not have it yet. For the first lien itself, see Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
On a USDA or HUD-184 first lien in Redmond, WA the assistance is forgivable or the ten-year repayable kind; 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 Redmond, WA file where it reads best.
What to prepare for a Redmond 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.
These are the points a lender reads on a Redmond assistance file before the option is confirmed; each one can move the structure.
Use these checks to keep the Redmond file clean and fundable.
Settle the option, the first lien, the property’s eligibility, and the category before the appraisal is ordered; a Redmond file that clears these reads cleanly.
- Know the option: choose by cost to carry first, amount second.
- Understand the clock: expect no resubordination and no additional liens.
- Plan for the balloon: treat the tenth-year balloon as a planning date.
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, and it reaches closing costs. A Redmond 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.
The balloon on the repayable option
The repayable options are the only purchase options that carry a payment; in exchange they cover the most and pair with a high-balance first lien. Their terms are set by the program, never by this page.
Escrow holdbacks for minor repairs
A Redmond 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.
Blended scores for two-borrower files
Blending is a qualification tool on the second-lien options and nothing more; a Redmond file that blends still needs each borrower to have a representative score, and manual underwriting is off the table.
From a Redmond pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place.
The path from a Redmond pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place runs through the option first and the paperwork second.
Pick the option
Lendmire reads the Redmond scenario against the options offered in Washington: the credit tier, the first lien, the unit count, the category, and whether the help must reach closing costs.
Get the mortgage approved
The FHA, USDA, or HUD-184 first lien runs through automated underwriting, with the assistance attached as its own loan where a second lien applies; a Redmond buyer’s income, credit, and reserves are read the way the first lien requires.
Clear the property
The appraisal, the condominium approval where one applies, the manufactured-home title, and the county loan limit are settled; small repairs go into an escrow holdback where the option allows it.
Close both loans together
The Redmond closing carries both instruments: the first lien and the assistance, each documented on its own and closed together, with the education certificate in the file where it applies.
A brokerage that pairs the assistance to the loan.
An assistance file rewards preparation, and preparation is what a brokerage built for first-time and moderate-income buyers provides.
The option, matched to the buyer
A Redmond 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
A Redmond file is matched to the first-lien program that carries the property — FHA everywhere, USDA or HUD-184 where they fit — and the assistance option follows that choice.
The right wholesale program
A Redmond 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.
Redmond down payment assistance FAQs
Straight answers for Redmond buyers weighing down payment assistance; the mortgage approval and the option’s rules decide every actual figure.
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?
No. The options offered in Washington carry no income limit beyond the first lien’s own rules; a USDA first lien has its own limits, and an FHA or HUD-184 first lien has none.
What first-time home buyer programs are available in Redmond?
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?
It depends on the shape a Redmond buyer takes: a forgivable second lien costs nothing to carry as long as the first lien stays current through the period and is then released, while a repayable second lien is repaid on a thirty-year amortization with a ten-year balloon; the options table on this page shows what each option costs to carry.
What credit score do I need?
A Redmond buyer’s credit tier decides which options are open — the options table on this page shows the floor for every option offered in Washington.
Can I combine this with another assistance program?
One option, one first lien, one closing — no combination with other assistance.
How does a forgivable second lien work — the small second loan behind the mortgage?
You do not pay it as long as the first lien stays current through the period; after the period it is forgiven. A sale or refinance inside the period pays it off.
Is there an option for refinancing?
For an existing FHA loan, yes — a repayable option sized on the balance, for a full refinance rather than a streamline.
What if my mortgage is above the county loan limit?
A high-balance first lien narrows the choice to the repayable options in Redmond, WA.
Can I use the assistance on a second home or a rental?
Primary residences only. Investment properties and second homes are outside the program.
The down payment is the hurdle. Let us clear it.
No credit pull, no commitment: an initial review places your Redmond purchase on the right option and tells you what to gather.
This guide covers Redmond — for the statewide options, categories, and property rules, see Down Payment Assistance in Washington, part of Lendmire’s down payment assistance program.
Nearby markets in Washington: Kirkland · Bellevue · Sammamish · Bothell · Seattle · Shoreline · Renton · Burien
Related programs: FHA Loans · USDA Loans · FHA 203(k) Rehab Loans