Raleigh Housing and Community Development offers two loans, and both are listed as open on the City's September 2026 page. The City of Raleigh Homebuyer Assistance Program lends up to $45,000 at 0% interest with no payments until you sell or the home stops being your primary residence. Income must be at or below 80% AMI, which is $105,850 for a family of four. The page is inconsistent on the price cap, citing $389,500 in one spot and $384,750 in another, so get the current figure from your lender.
What does the enhanced Raleigh program add?
The City of Raleigh Enhanced Homebuyer Assistance Program, paid for by the 2020 Affordable Housing Bond, raises the loan to $60,000 and the price cap to $450,000, but only in designated target areas shown on the City's map. In return, a 10-year deed restriction limits what you keep from a sale within that window. Both programs require a homeownership class certificate from DHIC and an FY27 approved lender.
Raleigh is a heavy public-employment town, with Wake County Public School System teachers, the Raleigh Police Department and Raleigh Fire Department among the large employers. Neither city loan is tied to a job, but those workers can pair either loan with NCHFA's NC Home Advantage Mortgage, which offers 3% of the loan or $15,000 for qualifying first-time buyers. In Wake County that state option allows income up to $132,000 for one or two people. Note that Wake County's own DHIC program serves areas outside Raleigh and Cary, so city buyers should lean on the two Raleigh loans. Details are on the Wake County page, or start with an eligibility check.
Programs run by Raleigh
City of Raleigh
- For
- First-time buyers at or below 80% AMI buying in Raleigh city limits
- Amount
- Up to $45,000
- Form
- Deferred loan, due when you sell
- Income cap
- 80% AMI: 1-person $74,100, 2 $84,700, 3 $95,300, 4 $105,850, 5 $114,350, 6 $122,800, 7 $131,300, 8 $139,750
- Price cap
- $389,500 in the page's program description; $384,750 in its Step 4 (page is inconsistent)
- Only first-time buyers?
- Yes
- Other conditions
- 0% interest, no payments until the home is sold or stops being the primary residence; homeownership class certificate required (DHIC, 919-832-4345); must buy within city limits; apply through an FY27 approved lender. Contact housing@raleighnc.gov, 919-996-4330.
Page updated Sep 4, 2026. It doesn't say whether the loan is ever forgiven or give a term in years. The page lists only single-family homes in one section but also townhomes and condos in another.
Last checked November 2026 · our sources
Read the full program pageCheck if I qualifyCity of Raleigh (designated target areas only)
- For
- First-time buyers at or below 80% AMI buying in the city's bond target areas
- Amount
- Up to $60,000
- Form
- Deferred loan, due when you sell
- Income cap
- 80% AMI (4-person $105,850)
- Price cap
- $450,000
- Only first-time buyers?
- Yes
- Other conditions
- Funded by the 2020 Affordable Housing Bond; home must be in a target area (map PDF and ArcGIS lookup on the page); 10-year deed restriction limits the owner's sale proceeds if sold within 10 years; same class and lender rules as the base program.
Status is inferred from the active Sep 2026 page. The page has no funding-exhausted notice, but it doesn't confirm open status either.
Last checked November 2026 · our sources
Read the full program pageCheck if I qualifyStatewide programs
Buyers in Raleigh can also draw on 2 statewide programs, NC Home Advantage Mortgage with Down Payment Assistance among them. Open the North Carolina program directory or try the program matcher.
County guide: Wake County
Book your homebuyer class near Wake County
Plan on a homebuyer class; most programs want the certificate in hand before you close. Below are HUD-approved agencies within driving distance of Wake County, with the services, languages and meeting formats each one lists.
| Counseling agency | Town | Miles | Services | Spoken in | Format |
|---|
| Consumer Education Services, Inc | Raleigh | 3 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English, Spanish | Phone |
| Telamon Corporation, Inc | Raleigh | 5 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English, Spanish | Face to Face, Phone, Internet |
| Empowerment Incorporated | Chapel Hill | 25 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English | Face to Face, Phone |
| Centre for Home Ownership & Economic Development Corporation | Hillsborough | 31 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English | Face to Face, Phone, Internet |
Pulled from the HUD housing counseling directory. Ask before you enroll, because programs differ on which classes count.
Which class counts? Ask a loan officer who handles North Carolina programs. They can name the right class and begin your pre-approval in the same call.
Start the eligibility check
Raleigh: questions and answers
Is the Raleigh homebuyer loan ever forgiven?
The City's page doesn't say. It describes a 0% loan with no payments until the home is sold or is no longer your primary residence, and it gives no forgiveness schedule or term.
How do I know if a house is in a Raleigh target area?
The City's homebuyer assistance page has a target-area map PDF and an ArcGIS lookup. Only homes inside those areas qualify for the $60,000 enhanced loan.
Can Raleigh buyers use the Wake County DHIC program?
No. Wake County's program covers the county outside Raleigh and Cary. Raleigh buyers use the two City loans plus the statewide programs.
