Massachusetts First-Time Home Buyer Programs and Grants
Compare Massachusetts first-time homebuyer mortgages, down-payment assistance, education requirements, and local programs before applying.
Start with the statewide options
MassHousing offers mortgage products through participating lenders and down-payment assistance for eligible borrowers. ONE Mortgage, administered through the Massachusetts Housing Partnership and participating lenders, is designed for low- and moderate-income first-time buyers.
- MassHousing mortgage and down-payment assistance
- ONE Mortgage with a low down payment and no PMI
- Municipal down-payment and closing-cost programs
- Section 8 homeownership assistance for eligible voucher participants
What 'first-time buyer' usually means
Programs commonly define a first-time buyer as someone who has not owned a home during the previous three years, but definitions and exceptions vary. Some programs also impose household-income, asset, purchase-price, property-type, location, and owner-occupancy rules.
- Complete an approved homebuyer education class early
- Ask a participating lender to screen every household member
- Check local programs where you plan to buy
- Confirm that funds remain available before relying on assistance
Assistance is not always a grant
Down-payment assistance may be a deferred loan, forgivable loan, amortizing second mortgage, or grant. Read what triggers repayment—often a sale, refinance, payoff, or move—and whether appreciation sharing or resale restrictions apply.
Program rules change. Treat marketing amounts as a starting point and obtain a current written eligibility analysis from the program or an approved lender.