WE DeKalb Down Payment Grant Program
The WE DeKalb program provides a down payment grant of up to 3% to qualified applicants interested in purchasing a home in DeKalb County, Georgia.
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Apply for a Grant
WE DeKalb offers a non-repayable home down payment grant for new or eligible homeowners. Approved applicants will receive a 30-year, fixed-rate, fully amortized first mortgage and non-repayable down-payment grant of up to 3% of the initial principal balance of the mortgage.
Use the resources on this page to check your eligibility and get started!
Watch the Explainer
Steps to Getting a Grant
1. Check If You Qualify
Get started by reviewing the qualifications for this program or by taking the eligibility assessment on this page.
Program Overview & Qualifications
Approved homebuyers will receive a 30-year, fixed-rate, fully amortized first mortgage and a non-repayable down payment assistance (DPA) grant equal to 1 percent, 2 percent, or 3 percent of the initial principal balance of the mortgage. The amount of the grant depends on the selected mortgage rate. The grant can be used for down payment and/or closing cost assistance. General program guidelines are provided below.
Programs and Eligibility
| Program | FICO Score | Income Limit | Mortgage Loan Limit | DTI Ratio |
| FHA | 660 | $134,960 | $472,030 | 45% with a minimum 660 FICO score or 50% with a minimum 680 FICO score |
| VA | 660 | $134,960 | $726,700 | 45% |
| Freddie Mac HFA Advantage (conventional) | 640 | $134,960 | $726,700 | 45% with a minimum 640 FICO score or 50% with a minimum 680 FICO score |
- Mortgage rates for the program will be the same or slightly above the market mortgage rates, depending on the selected DPA grant option. Rates will change periodically.
- Maximum qualifying income for households of all sizes:
- FHA loan: $134,960
- VA loan: $134,960
- Freddie Mac HFA® Advantage (conventional): $134,960.
- Maximum mortgage limits:
- FHA loan: $472,030
- VA loan: $726,700
- Freddie Mac HFA® Advantage (conventional): $726,700.
- Minimum FICO scores and maximum debt-to-income ratios:
- FHA: 45% with a minimum 660 FICO score or 50% with a minimum 680 FICO score.
- VA: 45% with a minimum 660 FICO score.
- Freddie Mac HFA® Advantage (conventional): 45% with a minimum 640 FICO score or 50% with a minimum 680 FICO score.
- No first-time homebuyer requirement, but it is recommended in some cases.
- WE DeKalb cannot be combined with another first-mortgage product.
- Must be residential property.
- Must be owner-occupied.
- Property must be in DeKalb County.
- New or existing 1-4 attached or detached units, condos, townhomes, and homes that meet service/ guarantor requirements are eligible.
- No pre-payment penalty.
- Standard agency guidelines still apply.
Non-eligible
- Recreational, seasonal, or other types of vacation or non-permanent homes
- Buydown financing
- Construction-to-permanent financing.
2. Contact a Lender and Start Looking for a House
Once you have determined your eligibility, contact one of our approved lenders and begin looking for a house.
You must have a house picked out before your grant can be processed.
3. Find a Home with Your Agent
Next, work with a real estate agent to find a home and make an offer.
4. Home, Sweet Home
Finally, work with your lender to close on the property. Your grant will be applied at closing.
Agents
Work with WE DeKalb lenders and loan officers to help your client find their primary home in DeKalb County.
Become an Approved Lender
Join our growing list of approved lenders and loan officers. Participation is free and easy.
To become an approved WE DeKalb lender and loan officer:
- Review the Lender Approval Process (linked below)
- Complete the Lender Agreement and submit to [email protected] and [email protected]
- Complete the Lender Contact & Authorization Form and send to [email protected]
View Lender Approval Process
The WE DeKalb program provides those interested in buying a home in DeKalb County, Georgia, with a non-repayable down payment assistance (DPA) grant equal to 1 percent, 2 percent, or 3 percent* of their mortgage’s initial principal balance. WE DeKalb’s qualified borrowers may be eligible for VA, FHA, or Freddie Mac HFA® Advantage conventional loan at a competitive 30-year, fixed-rate first mortgage loan. The DPA grant will be 1 percent, 2 percent, or 3 percent of the total loan amount, depending on which mortgage rate is selected of the available mortgage rate options. Borrowers do not need to be first-time homebuyers, and there is no time requirement that they must live in the home. However, the home must be their principal residence.
To participate in the program, complete and submit the Lender Agreement and the signed Lender Contact Information document to U.S. Bank via email. Originals are not needed and there is no cost to participate. Participating lenders must also become an approved lender with US Bank. If your company is a correspondent lender with US Bank, the approval process should be quick. Lenders must be a mortgage bank and be a VA, FHA, or Freddie Mac HFA® Advantage conventional approved mortgage.
To check on your current status with the US Bank Housing Finance Agency, or to become an approved lender, please contact US Bank at 800 562 5165 or [email protected] for assistance.
Training
Training is mandatory to access the program reservation system. The program training is available online 24/7 and the systems training is offered via a webinar weekly. The training and reservation system are handled by the program administrator, eHousingPlus. Below is a link to the WE DeKalb program webpage for participating lenders. You may wish to review the administrator’s guidelines under the “Summary” tab for the full program details, including information on the DPA grant process, allowed fees, and loan time frames.
View Available Training Programs
Please share this information with your fellow loan officers and anyone in your organization who may be interested in the WE DeKalb program
Get Started by Checking Your Eligibility
Take our 5-minute eligibility questionnaire to check if you qualify for a We DeKalb grant
Still Have Questions?
FAQs for Potential Homeowners
WE DeKalb is a down payment assistance program for future homeowners who live in, or wish to relocate to, DeKalb County. It is especially ideal if you earn too much to qualify for affordable housing subsidies but need help with your down payment and/or closing costs. Since 2015, 200 homes have been purchased with WE DeKalb, more than $1.6M in down payment grant funds have been provided, and homes in 12 DeKalb cities were purchased.
General Questions
Visit the WE DeKalb lenders web page and find the list of the approved lenders and loan officers. The approved loan officers will be able to answer your questions, walk you through the loan process, and determine your eligibility.
No, you do not have to be a first-time homebuyer. Though, the homebuyer education is required for the Freddie Mac HFA Advantage conventional loan, it is recommended for all borrowers
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has a list of homebuyer education classes at https://www.dca.ga.gov/housing/homeownership/georgia-dream/homebuyers/dcas-approvedhousing-counseling-agencies
No, non-occupant co-borrowers and co-signers are not allowed.
Speak with an approved loan officer as WE DeKalb does not have any requirements regarding the visa. The loan officer should be able to easily answer the visa question and hopefully can provide some thought regarding the green card.
Unfortunately, there has to be a contract on a property as the specific address is needed for the reservation.
About the Program
Please refer to the Program Overview and Qualifications section of this page.
Please refer to the Program Overview and Qualifications section of this page.
If you do not meet the minimum, credit counseling is recommended to help boost your score.
Please refer to the Program Overview and Qualifications section of this page.
Please refer to the Program Overview and Qualifications section of this page.
No, the income limit is only based on the borrower listed on the loan, not the combined household income. There are no asset limits.
Rates can be found here, below under ‘Rates/Offerings’. Please note that the rates change often.
Currently there is no end date.
Yes, if grant funds are still available.
Borrowers can own other properties, but the home that is purchased with a WE DeKalb loan must be the borrower’s primary residence.
There is no set time limit.
The approved loan officer will apply the grant at closing.
No, the property purchased with the WE DeKalb grant must be your primary residence.
Only approved lenders and loan officers can offer this program. For a list of participating lenders, please visit this link.
No, you must use an approved participating lender and loan officer to use the program.
The approved loan officer will apply the grant at closing.
About the Loan
Depending on your loan officer, he/she may allow this.
Yes, you do not have to pay back this grant.
No, there is no pre-payment penalty.
No, there is not much paperwork.
Yes, you may be able to refinance your home, but contact your WE DeKalb-approved loan officer to assist with your refinancing.
No, you cannot refinance your home for a 15-year mortgage at this time.
Lenders can only offer the Freddie Mac loan product for conventional loans, and it must be their HFA (Housing Finance Agencies) Advantage product, specifically.
If a conventional loan is used for the program, it has to be a Freddie Mac HFA Advantage loan and the borrower must meet the income requirements.
The time frame to close depends on the lender. With WE DeKalb, most houses close in 30 days.
Yes, though the program cannot be combined with another first-mortgage product. Please see your approved loan officer for details.
The 203(k) loan streamlined is the only type of 203(k) loan that is allowed. Your loan officer has to get prior approval with US Bank before he/she can use the loan type in the WE DeKalb program.
FAQs for Potential Lenders
WE DeKalb is a down payment grant program for future homeowners who wish to live in DeKalb County. Lenders interested in participating in this program must complete, scan, and submit a
Lender Agreement and Lender Contact and Authorization form to Stacy Houston ([email protected]) and Jennifer Payne ([email protected]). Originals are not needed, and there is no cost to participate. The Lender Agreement can be found here and the Lender Contact and Authorization form can be found here. Administrator Guidelines can be found here.
Participating lenders must also become an approved lender with US Bank. If your mortgage company is a correspondent lender with US Bank, the approval process should be fairly quick. Lenders must be a mortgage banker and be an FHA, VA, or conventional loan-approved mortgagee. Check on your current status with US Bank Housing Finance Agency division, or become an approved lender, at 800 562 5165 or [email protected].
The two-part training is mandatory in order to access the program reservation system. The lender program training is available online 24/7, and the system training is offered via conference call/webinar each week. The training and reservation system are handled by the program administrator, eHousingPlus. Your company must be an approved participating lender in the program before access to the training is granted. Please visit the WE DeKalb Lender webpage for participating lenders.
You may wish to review the other tabs on the eHousing Plus site (‘Summary’, ‘Guides and Forms’, and ‘Participating Lenders’) for the full program details, including information on the grant process, allowed fees, and loan time frames.
General Questions
You can find information for the lender training schedule at eHousing Plus University.
Visit the WE DeKalb webpage and the eHousing Plus site.
Once a lender company is approved, any loan officer with that company who would like to use the program will need to be set up within the eHousing system and complete the two-part required training: WE DeKalb program training and system training. Once the training is done, the loan officer/underwriter/processor will need to set up a username to access the reservation system (the Lender Portal). From that point, the loan officer can reserve a loan.
A new policy was implemented for participating lenders of WE DeKalb. To be on the list of active loan officers and top performers, loan officers must originate at least one loan in the WE DeKalb program each calendar year. Loan officers can request to be added on the list, but he/she will need to originate at least one loan in the calendar year to remain on the list.
If previously approved loan officers are no longer on the list AND are no longer with an approved lender, please contact eHousingPlus to make sure they update your profile with your new company name and information. Once this update is approved, loan officers can request to be added to the list for the calendar year and will need to originate at least one loan to remain on the list.
About the Program
Unfortunately, US Bank does not allow mortgage brokers to use the program as the lender has to be able to underwrite, close, and fund the loan all within the same company name. Should a lender not be able to sell the program loan to US Bank, they will need to be able to purchase it themselves. Other programs may allow it, but not those with US Bank as the master servicer.
Please visit the US Bank helpline ([email protected]) for more information.
Please contact eHousingPlus to make sure they update your profile with your new company name and information.
WE DeKalb only has special mortgage insurance (MI) options with the Freddie Mac HFA Advantage loan program. The MI options for FHA are the same as they would be with any other FHA loan.
Rates can be found on this link under ‘Rates/Offerings’. Please note that the rates change often.
Refinances are permitted. However, all questions concerning refinances should be directed to US Bank HFA Division at 800 562 5165 or [email protected].
About the Loan
Per US Bank, follow HFA guidelines as well as agency guides. The lender will be responsible for monitoring, maintaining, and completing the escrow account. All origination lenders are responsible to follow investor (FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional) guidelines and the direct endorsement (DE) under-writer must be in a position to properly document the file with all necessary paperwork. US Bank will purchase the loan prior to completion of the escrow repairs
Per the US Bank and loan type guidelines, US Bank has aligned their leasehold properties requirement with Freddie and Fannie, and will no longer require the Freddie Mac “Ground Lease Analysis” form be completed. A review of the ground lease must still be completed to ensure that the lease meets Freddie and Fannie guidelines.
The 203(k) loan streamlined is the only type of 203(k) loan that is allowed. Loan officers have to get prior approval with US Bank before they can use the loan type in the WE DeKalb program.
Yes, US Bank is the only master servicer allowed in the program.
