Real programs, real numbers, checked this week, not a headline that stopped being true two years ago.
Most buyers moving here assume they need 20% down. Most don’t. Several state and city programs will put real money toward your down payment if you qualify, here’s what’s actually open right now, what closed, and what to double-check with a lender before you count on a specific number.
A first mortgage with an optional down payment option built in: up to 3% of your loan amount as a deferred, 0%-interest second mortgage. Nothing is owed unless you sell, refinance, or move out before year 15, it’s forgiven 20% a year starting in year 11, gone completely at year 15.
Open to first-time buyers and move-up buyers. Minimum credit score 640 (660 on manufactured homes). Statewide income cap is $158,000, though the exact limit for your household size and county can run lower, a participating lender pulls your actual number in a few minutes.
Source: NC Housing Finance Agency, nchfa.com, checked Sept 2026.
A separate $15,000 down payment loan, also 0% interest and deferred, forgiven on the same 15-year schedule as above. This one has real restrictions: you need to be a first-time buyer (no ownership in the last 3 years), a veteran, or buying in a specific targeted census tract that waives the first-time rule.
We haven’t been able to confirm whether this $15,000 and the 3% option above can be combined on the same loan, the program pages describe them as alternatives inside the same mortgage product, not stacked. Ask your lender which one actually applies to your file.
Source: NC Housing Finance Agency, nchfa.com, checked Sept 2026.
A forgivable second mortgage worth 0%, 3%, or 4% of your first loan amount, 10-year term, 0% interest, no monthly payment. Unlike a lot of assistance programs this one isn’t limited to first-timers, move-up buyers qualify as long as you don’t already hold financed interest in more than two homes.
Statewide income cap $135,750 on qualifying credit income. Minimum credit score 640 (660 on manufactured housing or FHA manual-underwrite loans). Open and active right now.
Source: SC Housing program guide (effective Feb 2026) & schousing.sc.gov, checked Sept 2026.
$10,000 forgivable assistance for teachers, nurses, law enforcement, corrections officers, firefighters, EMS, veterans, and active-duty military. The 2026 round opened in March and closed April 13 once the funding was gone, 272 loans went out. SC Housing’s own site says the next round opens in spring 2027.
If that’s your profile, it’s worth putting on your calendar rather than assuming it’s available today.
Source: SC Housing news releases & schousing.sc.gov, checked Sept 2026.
One thing we get asked about often: there’s no York County or Lancaster County-specific down payment program separate from the statewide ones above. A program called the County First Initiative covers 31 other SC counties, York and Lancaster aren’t on that list, so it doesn’t apply here. Buyers in both counties are still eligible for Palmetto Home Advantage and, once it reopens, Palmetto Heroes.
Administered by DreamKey Partners for the City of Charlotte. First-time buyers only, purchase price capped at $365,000, and you’ll sit through an 8-hour homebuyer education course before closing. Funding is limited and runs out some years, don’t wait to start the application if you think you qualify.
| Tier | Household income | Base assistance | Additional match | Total max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program 1A | Up to 80% AMI (roughly $93,900 ceiling) | Up to $30,000 | Up to $50,000 | Up to $80,000 |
| Program 1B | 80.01–110% AMI (roughly $129,150 ceiling) | Up to $10,000 | Up to $20,000 | Up to $30,000 |
| 1B, city/county/CMS employees | 80.01–110% AMI | No match required | Up to $30,000 | |
Source: DreamKey Partners (dreamkeypartners.org/house-charlotte), income chart current as of June 2026, checked Sept 2026. The $80,000 and $30,000 figures you may have heard are both real; they’re two different income tiers, not conflicting numbers.
Up to 25% of the purchase price or $50,000, whichever is less, as a 0%-interest deferred second mortgage. Income has to sit at or below 80% AMI, credit minimum 640, and you’ll do 8 hours of homebuyer education plus one-on-one counseling. Funding is limited some cycles.
The published income and price limits we found were dated to 2025, confirm the current year’s figures directly before you count on an exact number.
Source: DreamKey Partners (dreamkeypartners.org/cplp-program), CPLP@dkp.org, 704-342-0933, checked Sept 2026.
This one is specific to a builder, not a general fund, it pairs down payment assistance with new construction from True Homes in three Charlotte communities (Dukes Ridge, Clark Village, and Hoovertown), aimed at buyers in the 80–110% AMI range.
Published assistance figures range widely depending on the source, so we’re not going to print a specific dollar number here, ask True Homes or DreamKey directly what applies to the home you’re looking at.
Sources: dreamkeypartners.org/doorway-to-prosperity, truehomes.com/doorway-to-prosperity, True Homes 980-313-3349, checked Sept 2026.
Down payments as low as 3.5%, per HUD. The credit score cutoff that unlocks 3.5% versus a higher down payment is spelled out in HUD’s own underwriting handbook and can shift, ask your lender for the number that applies to your file rather than a number you saw somewhere else.
Source: HUD.gov, checked Sept 2026.
Zero down in eligible rural areas, for households under 115% of the area median income. Eligibility is address-specific and the maps get redrawn periodically, most of inner Mecklenburg County isn’t eligible, while parts of outer Union, York, and Lancaster counties may be. Check any specific address on USDA’s own eligibility tool before assuming either way.
Source: USDA Rural Development, checked Sept 2026.
Every program on this page has income limits, credit minimums, and funding caps that move without much warning. We’ll tell you honestly which ones you’re likely to qualify for and connect you with lenders who work these programs every day, before you fall in love with a house that assumes money that isn’t there.
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Carolina Realty Advisors · 1001 East Blvd, Suite B, Charlotte, NC 28203 · (704) 396-4078 · Licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina
Equal Housing Opportunity · NC License 207515 · SC License 47843. Carolina Realty Advisors and Mike Sposato are licensed to sell real estate in North Carolina and South Carolina and follow the Fair Housing Act in every listing and every conversation. Nothing on this site is guaranteed accurate; verify anything that matters to you before you rely on it.
