Massachusetts first-time home buyer programs: who qualifies

The main Massachusetts first time home buyer program is a MassHousing mortgage with a down payment loan of $25,000 to $30,000. It is for first-time buyers under MassHousing's income limits, the most a household can earn and still qualify. You apply through a lender MassHousing has approved, not to MassHousing itself. The Massachusetts Housing Partnership's ONE Mortgage is a second option.

What does a MassHousing mortgage offer?

A MassHousing mortgage has an interest rate fixed for the life of the loan, so your monthly payment for the loan doesn't change. It can also come with a down payment loan. MassHousing, an independent public agency, lends through approved banks and mortgage companies. The home must be in Massachusetts: a one- to four-family home or a condo that you live in as your main home.

MassHousing offers two kinds of mortgage. A conventional loan is an ordinary bank loan. An FHA loan is insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a federal agency, so the lender is repaid if the buyer stops paying. Each one has its own income limit, set as a share of the area median income, the middle income where you buy: half of households earn more and half earn less.

Workforce Advantage is MassHousing's mortgage for first-time buyers with lower incomes. It has its own, lower income limits by town and household size, and it comes with the $30,000 down payment loan.

With the conventional Workforce Advantage loan, you can put down as little as 3% of the price. MassHousing also pays the one-time charge for mortgage insurance, the insurance that protects the lender if you stop paying.

MassHousing's FAQ gives minimum credit scores from 640 to 700, depending on the loan, the kind of home and how much of the price you borrow. Veterans, active-duty service members, members of the National Guard or Reserves and Gold Star families, the families of service members who died in service, may also get a $2,500 credit toward closing costs. Closing costs are the fees you pay on the day you sign the final papers.

If your conventional loan has mortgage insurance from MassHousing, you also get its MI Plus benefit. If you lose your job, it pays the loan part of your monthly payment, not taxes or insurance, for up to six months, up to $4,000 a month.

How does MassHousing's down payment help work?

MassHousing's down payment help is a second loan on your home, on top of your mortgage. You must be a first-time buyer under the income limit, and you must use it with a MassHousing mortgage. If you sell the home, refinance (replace your mortgage with a new loan) or pay off your mortgage, you must repay the whole second loan. Your lender decides which option and how much you get, so ask it whether you count as a first-time buyer for MassHousing.

What the 15-year loans cost. At 2%, a $25,000 loan costs $160.88 a month for 180 months, about $28,958 in all, or $3,958 more than you borrowed. At 3%, it costs $172.62 a month, about $31,072 in all. You make these payments on top of your mortgage payment.

What are MassHousing's 2026 income limits?

MassHousing's household income limits for its conventional and FHA first-time mortgages took effect June 15, 2026. They are the same for every household size. MassHousing works them out from its own area median incomes, so they can differ from other charts you see.

Workforce Advantage mortgages have lower limits that go up with household size. The first figure is for one person, the second for four:

• Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop: $72,000 and $102,840.
• The city of Worcester and most Worcester County towns: $55,320 and $79,020.
• Hampden County, including Springfield: $55,200 and $78,900.
• Barnstable County (Cape Cod): $59,340 and $84,720.

What is the ONE Mortgage?

The ONE Mortgage, from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, is a mortgage for first-time buyers, meaning people who haven't owned a home in the last three years. It needs as little as 3% down, and you pay no private mortgage insurance, a monthly charge that protects the lender. To qualify, you must:

• take a homebuyer class;
• put down 3% of the price for a condo or a one- or two-family home, or 5% for a three-family home. At least half of it must come from your own savings;
• have household income at or under 100% of the area median income for your town and household size. In Boston, the partnership's 2026 table sets that at $120,000 for one person and $171,400 for four;
• have less than $100,000 in household savings and investments, not counting most retirement and college savings;
• have a credit score of at least 640 for a one-family home or condo, or 660 for a two- or three-family home;
• live in the home as your main home.

If you live in one of 29 cities, including Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell and Lynn, ONE+ adds a lower interest rate and help with your down payment and closing costs. ONE+Boston uses City of Boston money for first-time buyers buying a home in Boston. For questions, call the Massachusetts Housing Partnership at 1-800-752-7131.

Are there first-time home buyer grants in Massachusetts?

Yes, but not from MassHousing. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's Equity Builder Program gives grants to first-time buyers earning up to 80% of the area median income. The grants help pay for the down payment, closing costs or repairs. You can't apply to the bank yourself: ask a member bank or credit union that takes part. MassHousing says you can combine its loan with this grant and with help from the city or town where you buy.

The Federal Trade Commission warns that the government never calls out of the blue to offer a grant or asks you to pay a fee to get one. If someone does, it is a scam.

How do you apply, step by step?

1. Take a homebuyer class. MassHousing's education page lists approved classes, in person and online, in several languages. You can take one anywhere in the state.
2. Find an approved lender on MassHousing's lender list, or call MassHousing's homebuying team at 888-843-6432. Ask about MassHousing mortgages, the ONE Mortgage and down payment help, and which one fits your income.
3. Check your income against the limit for the county where you want to buy, or for Workforce Advantage and the ONE Mortgage, the town and your household size.
4. Ask the city or town where you're buying about its own first-time buyer help.
5. Get your savings ready for the part of the down payment and closing costs the loans don't cover, and compare down payment help in other states if you might buy across the border.

Where can you find affordable homes to buy in Massachusetts?

Some Massachusetts towns sell homes below market price to buyers under an income limit, often by lottery, a random drawing among the people who apply. See the Massachusetts homes for sale on our listings page and our Massachusetts page, and use our qualify check to see which ones fit your household's size and income.