Santa Ana Downpayment Assistance Program

Santa Ana Downpayment Assistance Program is sponsored by City of Santa Ana, CA. The City of Santa Ana, California, provides a down payment assistance program. Seniors looking to buy a home in Santa Ana could explore this opportunity.

My First Home Program - City of Santa Ana You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Draft Zoning Code Update available: Review the draft rules for land use and development, provide comment and attend public meetings.

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A financial assistance program for first-time homebuyers. The My First Home Program provides first-time home buyers a deferred loan to help purchase a home in the City of Santa Ana. Applicants may be eligible to borrow up to $120,000 with 0% interest.

There is a local preference for applicants who are Veterans or for applicants who live or work in Santa Ana. The My First Home Program is funded by local, State, and Federal funding such as Inclusionary Housing, CalHome, and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The assistance specifically serves income-eligible, first-time homebuyers purchase a residential home.

The purpose is to make homeownership affordable. Completed applications are evaluated on a first come, first served basis with a preference for Veterans, or, applicants who live or work in Santa Ana. The assistance is a deferred loan, up to $120,000, for income eligible-households.

Loan terms include: A 30 or 45-year term (depending on funding source) Owner-occupancy throughout the life of the loan Frequently Asked Questions Eligibility varies by funding source. For example, State and Federally funded loans are limited to households earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) (see "Income Limit" chart below).

The following eligibility criteria applies to all "My First Home" applicants: Applicants with no ownership, interest in, or ‘title’ to a principal residence during the three-year period preceding the "My First Home" application Completion of an eight (8) hour, first-time homebuyer course, provided by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved counseling agency Compliance with Debt-to-Income ratio requirements (40/45): Monthly housing costs must be a minimum of 28% but not exceed 40% Total monthly debt commitments cannot exceed 45% A minimum credit score of 640 Co-signers are not allowed No bankruptcies or foreclosures in the past seven (7) years Pre-qualified for a fixed-rate mortgage by a mortgage lender Must have a minimum of 3% of the purchase price in seasoned funds (saved in personal account(s) for at least 90 days) Seasoned funds cannot be from gift funds Additional gift funds may be used towards the purchase Gift funds may not exceed 3% of the purchase price Applicants with access to 20%, or more, of the purchase price, may be denied Unit must pass a City inspection The unit being purchased must be located in Santa Ana Household income cannot exceed the income-threshold determined by the respective funding source We are currently only accepting applications for 80% AMI households 80% Area Median Income Threshold 120% Area Median Income Threshold Income Limits as of June 2026 Find first-time homebuyer education Want to know more?

Contact us. If you have additional questions after reviewing the website, please submit your questions using the form below. A Housing Division staff member will contact you during business hours.

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