Start with the property jurisdiction

The City of San Diego and unincorporated San Diego County are not interchangeable program areas. A home in Chula Vista, Oceanside, or Poway is not automatically eligible for a City of San Diego program. Confirm the exact property jurisdiction and the current program service area before building assistance into your purchase budget.

The San Diego Housing Commission publishes City first-time homebuyer information. The County publishes its own down-payment and closing-cost assistance information. California's CalHFA publishes statewide homebuyer and lender resources.

Assistance is not necessarily free money

Ask whether the assistance is a grant, deferred-payment loan, forgivable loan, or another arrangement. Get an explanation of interest, repayment triggers, resale or occupancy restrictions, and what happens when you refinance. Program names do not answer those questions.

Funding, income limits, purchase-price limits, and lender participation can change. This guide does not quote a benefit amount or promise availability. Verify current requirements directly with the program administrator and a participating lender before making an offer dependent on assistance.

Questions to ask before applying

  • How does the program define a first-time buyer?
  • Is the property in the eligible service area?
  • What household, income, asset, and purchase requirements apply?
  • Is a homebuyer education course required, and which providers are accepted?
  • Which lenders can process this particular assistance?
  • How does the assistance interact with the primary loan?
  • When is funding reserved, and what could delay closing?

An application is not an approval. Ask the lender how to coordinate the program timetable with the offer and contingency dates.

Compare assistance with the whole loan

Evaluate the combined payment, cash needed, fees, and future repayment obligations. Assistance that reduces today's cash requirement can still affect a later refinance or sale. Compare the assisted scenario with other loan options in writing. If you are eligible for a VA loan, use the San Diego VA buying guide as a question list for your lender, not as a current rate quote.

Return to your buying budget once the lender explains the actual available options.