{"id":478419,"date":"2026-10-27T18:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/478419\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T18:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:56:12","slug":"how-a-26-year-old-bought-her-first-arlington-home-and-how-you-can-do-the-same","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/478419\/","title":{"rendered":"How a 26-year-old bought her first Arlington home, and how you can do the same"},"content":{"rendered":"

ARLINGTON, Va. (DC NEWS NOW<\/a>) — For Veronica Mata, buying a home in Arlington meant finding a way around one of the biggest barriers to homeownership: the down payment.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old began researching programs for first-time buyers with lower or moderate incomes. She found Arlington County’s Moderate-Income Purchase Assistance Program, which helped make her purchase possible.<\/p>\n

She closed on a $240,000 condo on Sept. 9, using $60,000 from the county program toward the purchase.<\/p>\n

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\t\tDC names Ramon Griffin as 2027 Teacher of the Year\t<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy lender, he was like, ‘It’s really hard to qualify for this,’\u201d Mata recalled.<\/p>\n

She pressed ahead anyway.<\/p>\n

The assistance reduced her primary mortgage to $180,000. Mata said she pays about $1,400 a month on the mortgage, plus $720 in condominium association fees. <\/p>\n

The county’s assistance, however, is a loan, not a grant. The 0% interest second mortgage has no monthly payments, but the county generally must be repaid when the homeowner sells or refinances. If the property appreciates, the county can also receive a small share of the increase in value under the loan agreement.<\/p>\n

The loan provides meaningful savings. At a 6% rate, a borrower would pay nearly $70,000 in interest just to borrow that amount.<\/p>\n

For buyers struggling to save enough to purchase a home in the DMV, programs like Arlington’s can help bridge the gap between what they can afford and what they need to close.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo your research because the programs are out there to help young people become first-time homebuyers,\u201d Mata said.<\/p>\n

Homebuyer assistance programs across the DMV<\/p>\n

Several jurisdictions offer down payment and closing-cost assistance to eligible buyers. Funding, income limits, repayment terms and application requirements vary by program.<\/p>\n

Arlington County, Virginia<\/p>\n

The Moderate-Income Purchase Assistance Program, which Mata used, provides eligible first-time buyers with a deferred, 0% interest loan of up to 25% of the purchase price, capped at $112,500 under the county’s 2026 guidelines.<\/p>\n

Applicants must meet income and credit requirements, obtain approval for a primary mortgage and purchase a qualifying property in Arlington. The maximum purchase price is $500,000.<\/p>\n

The loan has no monthly payments. When the property is sold or refinanced, the county can require repayment of the original loan plus a proportionate share of net appreciation, up to 25%.<\/p>\n

Learn more: https:\/\/www.arlingtonva.us\/Government\/Programs\/Housing\/Housing-Assistance\/Home-Ownership\/MIPAP<\/a><\/p>\n

Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

The Home Purchase Assistance Program provides eligible first-time buyers with up to $202,000 in assistance, plus up to $4,000 for closing costs, under the assistance schedule effective July 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

The interest-free loan amount depends on household income, size, assets and financial need. Applicants must purchase a primary residence in the District and meet the program’s eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n

Very-low- and low-income borrowers generally have no monthly payments on the assistance loan. Moderate-income borrowers have payments deferred for five years, followed by principal-only payments.<\/p>\n

The District also offers separate programs for eligible government employees and certain other workers.<\/p>\n

Learn more: https:\/\/dhcd.dc.gov\/page\/home-purchase-assistance-program-hpap-eligibility-how-apply-and-program-details<\/a><\/p>\n

Prince George’s County, Maryland<\/p>\n

Prince George’s County offers several homebuyer assistance programs, including Pathway to Purchase, which can provide up to $50,000 toward a down payment and closing costs for eligible buyers purchasing a qualifying property.<\/p>\n

The county also offers a Critical Workforce Housing Assistance Program for eligible first-time buyers, including full-time county public-school teachers, certain nurses and specified public-safety employees.<\/p>\n

The workforce program provides a 0% interest, deferred loan of up to $50,000 or 25% of the purchase price, whichever is less. The loan can be forgiven over 10 years if the homeowner meets the program’s occupancy requirements.<\/p>\n

Applicants must meet income and other eligibility rules and work with an approved lender.<\/p>\n

Learn more: https:\/\/www.princegeorgescountymd.gov\/departments-offices\/housing-community-development\/first-time-home-buyers-assistance-programs<\/a><\/p>\n

Montgomery County, Maryland<\/p>\n

The Montgomery Homeownership Program offers eligible buyers a 0% interest, deferred down payment assistance loan of up to $50,000. The maximum assistance is limited to 40% of qualifying household income.<\/p>\n

The loan can be used toward a down payment or closing costs. Repayment is triggered by events including the sale or transfer of the property, refinancing or payoff of the primary mortgage.<\/p>\n

The program reopened July 21, 2026, with reservations accepted until funds are committed. Buyers should confirm current availability before applying.<\/p>\n

Learn more: https:\/\/mmp.maryland.gov\/resources-lenders\/directives-notifications\/directive-2026-07-montgomery-county-homeownership-program-reopens<\/a><\/p>\n

Virginia Housing<\/p>\n

Virginia Housing offers a Down Payment Assistance Grant for eligible buyers using qualifying mortgage products. The grant is generally 2% of the purchase price for eligible conventional bond loans or 2.5% for eligible FHA bond loans.<\/p>\n

Unlike a deferred loan, the grant generally does not have to be repaid when program conditions are met. Virginia Housing also offers other mortgage and down payment assistance options, including a second-mortgage product.<\/p>\n

Income limits, purchase-price limits and other eligibility requirements apply.<\/p>\n

Learn more: https:\/\/www.virginiahousing.com\/homebuyers\/down-payment-assistance-grant<\/a><\/p>\n

Down payment assistance does not automatically mean free money. Some programs offer grants, while others provide loans that must be repaid when a home is sold, refinanced or no longer used as a primary residence. Some loans can be forgiven over time if buyers meet specific requirements.<\/p>\n

Prospective buyers should check current funding availability, income limits, credit requirements, eligible properties and repayment terms before applying. They should also account for ongoing costs such as property taxes, insurance, maintenance and condominium or homeowners association fees.<\/p>\n

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\nFor the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ARLINGTON, Va. (DC NEWS NOW) — For Veronica Mata, buying a home in Arlington meant finding a way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":478420,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151],"class_list":["post-478419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/478420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}