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Need help with your down payment?

Texas and El Paso programs can help qualifying buyers with the down payment and closing costs. Here's who each one is for and what to gather first.

Talk to Ximena about down payment help
Ximena Martinez holding her wooden XM key in a model home

How down payment help works

Each program sets its own rules, but most of them share these.

It comes as a grant or a second loan
Some help is a grant you don't repay. Other help is a second lien with no monthly payment that's either forgiven after a set time or repaid when you sell, refinance or pay off your first loan.
Income limits apply
Every program here has a maximum income, and some also cap the purchase price. Limits change, so check the program's current table.
There's a minimum credit score
Each down payment program here sets a minimum score, and a lender can require a higher one.
You take a homebuyer course first
The down payment programs here require an approved homebuyer education course before closing.
You apply through a participating lender
The help usually comes with a 30-year fixed-rate first loan from a lender that works with the program. The home has to be your main residence.

Who qualifies depends on your income, your credit and the program. Only a participating lender can tell you what you qualify for.

Programs for El Paso buyers

Checked in September 2026. Open a program to see who it's for and its official page.

My First Texas Home (TDHCA)

Who it's for: First-time buyers, meaning you haven't owned and lived in a home in the last 3 years. Qualified veterans and homes in certain targeted areas are exceptions.

A 30-year fixed-rate FHA, VA or USDA loan with down payment help as a second lien. Income and purchase price limits apply, and every borrower takes a HUD-certified homebuyer course. This program may carry a federal recapture tax if you sell within a set time, so ask your lender about it.

Official sources:TDHCA Homebuyer Program: My First Texas Home and My Choice Texas HomeTDHCA My First Texas Home program matrix (August 2026)TDHCA homebuyer education

My Choice Texas Home (TDHCA)

Who it's for: First-time and repeat buyers. You don't have to be a first-time buyer.

Works with FHA, VA, USDA and some conventional loans. Income limits apply, with no purchase price limit. Every borrower takes a HUD-certified homebuyer course.

Official sources:TDHCA My Choice Texas Home program matrix (August 2026)

Homes for Texas Heroes (TSAHC)

Who it's for: Full-time public school teachers, teacher aides, librarians, counselors and nurses; peace officers, county jailers and public security officers; firefighters and EMS personnel; corrections and juvenile corrections officers; veterans and active duty service members; and nursing and allied health faculty.

Help comes as a grant or a second lien, depending on the loan and the option. Income limits apply. You don't have to be a first-time buyer unless you add a Mortgage Credit Certificate or use a bond-funded option. At least one borrower takes a homebuyer course before closing.

Official sources:TSAHC loans and down payment assistanceTSAHC homebuyer program guidelines (August 2026)TSAHC home buyer education

Home Sweet Texas (TSAHC)

Who it's for: Low- and moderate-income buyers who meet the program's income limit, in any line of work.

The same help and loan options as Homes for Texas Heroes, with its own income limit. At least one borrower takes a homebuyer course before closing.

Official sources:TSAHC loans and down payment assistance

Mortgage Credit Certificates (TDHCA and TSAHC)

Who it's for: Generally first-time buyers, with exceptions for qualified veterans and homes in targeted areas.

Not a down payment program. It's a federal tax credit based on part of the mortgage interest you pay each year. TDHCA offers it with its loans and on its own. TSAHC offers it only with its loans. Ask a tax professional how it fits your taxes.

Official sources:TDHCA Texas Mortgage Credit Certificate Program

Welcome Home El Paso grant (El Paso HFC)

Who it's for: Buyers purchasing a main residence inside El Paso city limits who meet the program's income, price and credit rules.

A grant through the El Paso Housing Finance Corporation's approved lenders. It requires an online homebuyer course. As of September 2026, the HFC's page lists it as open. Funding changes, so check with the El Paso HFC before you count on it.

Official sources:El Paso HFC homebuyer programs, including Welcome Home El Paso

Mi Casa Homebuyer Grant (El Paso HFC)

Who it's for: First-time buyers, with exceptions for veterans and homes in targeted areas, who meet household income and price limits.

A grant you don't repay, paired with a 30-year fixed-rate FHA, VA or USDA loan. All buyers take an approved homebuyer course before closing, and every borrower needs a valid Social Security number. As of September 2026, the HFC's Mi Casa page says the first round of funds is used up, new funds may come as early as November 2026 to spring 2027, and it's taking intake forms now. The HFC's own pages don't all agree on whether it's open, and funding changes, so check with the El Paso HFC before you count on this grant.

Official sources:El Paso HFC Mi Casa grant pageEl Paso HFC Mi Casa program guidelines (March 2025)

City of El Paso

Who it's for: Anyone looking for local options.

As of September 2026, the City's housing resources page sends buyers to the El Paso HFC, TDHCA and TSAHC for down payment help instead of listing a City-run program. Check with the City for anything new.

Official sources:City of El Paso housing resources

How it fits with FHA, VA and USDA loans

The help rides on your first loan, so that loan's rules apply too.

  • FHA loans

    The TDHCA, TSAHC and Mi Casa programs all work with FHA loans. The help can go toward the down payment and closing costs.

  • VA loans

    Eligibility for a VA loan comes from military service. The TDHCA, TSAHC and Mi Casa programs accept VA loans, where the help can go toward closing costs and other cash to close.

    Official sources:VA home loan eligibility

  • USDA loans

    USDA loans have their own borrower rules, including income. The TDHCA, TSAHC and Mi Casa programs accept them.

    Official sources:7 CFR 3555.151 (USDA borrower eligibility)

  • Conventional loans

    My Choice Texas Home and TSAHC also work with Fannie Mae HFA Preferred and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage loans. My First Texas Home and Mi Casa don't.

What to gather before you talk to a lender

Having these ready helps a lender check you against each program's rules faster.

See the checklist
  • Your last 3 years of federal tax returns or IRS transcripts. Programs with a first-time buyer rule use them to check it.
  • Recent pay stubs and income records for everyone who will be on the loan. Some programs count more of the household's income than others.
  • Your credit report, so you know where you stand against each program's minimum.
  • Your homebuyer education certificate, once you finish the course.
  • Recent bank statements showing your savings. The help may not cover every cost to close.
  • A valid government-issued photo ID.
  • Your DD-214, if you're a veteran using the veteran exception.
  • Proof of full-time work in an eligible job, if you're applying for Homes for Texas Heroes.

Having these documents ready doesn't guarantee approval. Requirements vary by program and lender.

Buying without a Social Security number?

These programs follow FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac rules for buyers who aren't U.S. citizens, and Mi Casa requires a valid Social Security number. My guide covers what's still possible.

Read the guide

Talk to me before you pick a program

I'll walk you through how buying works in El Paso, what to ask each lender about these programs, and how to plan your home search around a program's rules.

  • I'm not a lender and I don't decide who qualifies. Ask more than one participating lender and compare their Loan Estimates.
  • I'll show you homes in any part of El Paso that fit your budget and the program.
  • If we work together, buyer representation is covered in a written agreement. Fees are negotiable and not set by law.
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Where this information comes from

Ximena Martinez, REALTOR® · 915-588-8892 · ximenatxrealtor@gmail.com

Brokered by ClearView Realty, LLC · TREC #824509