The hard part is not the house. It is the cash.
You have a job. You pay rent on time every month.And the down payment still feels out of reach.
Takes about 2 minutes. No credit check to start.
- 3% down on a conventional loan
- 3.5% down on an FHA loan
- Zero down on VA and USDA
- Grants that you never pay back
- The whole down payment can be a family gift
A first time home buyer using gift funds and a grant can close having brought under $1,000.
Licensed mortgage broker · NMLS 179997
Office in Vienna, Virginia
Two things keep you in a rental.
- A first time home buyer does not need 20% down.
- Conventional loans can start at 3% down, while FHA loans start at 3.5%.
- VA and USDA loans can offer 0% down for eligible buyers.
- Down payment assistance programs can help cover upfront costs, but many buyers never hear about them.
- A conventional loan can also drop mortgage insurance once you reach 20% equity.
- You are not behind—first-time buyers made up just 21% of the market in 2025, the lowest share since 1981.
Which one of these is you?
Almost every first time home buyer who calls is in one of these six spots. Most people think their case is unusual. It almost never is.
You saved something, just not twenty percent
On a $400,000 home, 3% is $12,000. Down payment assistance covers most of that and a seller credit covers your closing costs. A normal first time home buyer file, not an exception.
Your family wants to help
On an FHA loan the whole down payment can be gift funds. We need a letter saying the gift funds are not a loan, plus a clear trail from their account to yours. Cash cannot be traced.
Your credit is thin, not bad
You never missed a payment, you just have not borrowed much. An FHA loan starts at a 580 credit score and a conventional file at 620. Pricing improves at each credit score step.
Student loans are eating your budget
That debt is often counted higher than you actually pay, whatever your credit score says. Maryland Smart Buy was built for exactly this.
You are shopping across a state line
Each state runs its own income limits and price caps, and those income limits change by county. We are licensed in all three, so crossing a line does not mean starting again.
You keep losing houses
A pre approval makes an offer real to a seller. It takes 24 to 48 hours, costs nothing, and every first time home buyer should hold a pre approval before shopping.
The help is real. Nobody mentions it.
These sit on top of your loan. Most are built for a first time home buyer, and each carries income limits that change by county.
Virginia Housing grant
Virginia Housing gives a share of the price that you never repay. The closest thing to free money a buyer will find.
Virginia Housing second loan
Virginia Housing lends the down payment through a Plus Second Mortgage. It stacks with other down payment assistance.
Closing cost grant
A separate Virginia Housing grant put toward closing costs at settlement, on top of the other help.
Maryland Mortgage Program
Down payment assistance for Maryland, including Smart Buy for buyers carrying student debt.
DC Home Purchase Assistance
One of the largest down payment assistance programs anywhere, for purchases in the District. Virginia Housing has no equivalent for DC.
Then the bill nobody warns you about. Closing costs run about 2% to 4% of the price on top of your down payment. On a $400,000 home that is $8,000 to $16,000.
Two things shrink it. Sellers often pay toward your closing costs, and a Virginia Housing grant covers the rest.
A bank has one answer. We have several.
We are a broker, licensed in all three places, and we work in eight languages. We check every program before we quote you anything.
We check the assistance first
Every program in Virginia, Maryland and DC, with the income limits run for your household. Not just the state you are standing in.
We price two loans side by side
You see the cash you would bring on each, side by side, before you pick one.
We start without a credit pull
The first talk is about income, savings and your credit score. Nothing is run until you say so.
We write a pre approval that wins
A pre approval an underwriter has looked at carries weight that a guess does not.
SAI Mortgage, Inc.
Is committed to helping you find the right mortgage product for your needs, whether you’re exploring a home mortgage loan, considering a home mortgage loan in Virginia, or comparing other financing options. We understand that every borrower is different, and we offer a variety of products to meet your individual requirements, ensuring you receive guidance that fits your unique financial goals.
Three steps. That is it.
Most people are pre-approved within two days.
Tell us how you get paid
A short call, in your language if you like. No credit check yet.
We shop it for you
We check many lenders and send you what you qualify for, in writing.
You get the keys
We handle the rest and close on the date you need.
Licensed in Virginia, DC and Maryland.
From our office in Vienna, we serve buyers across the Commonwealth — and your file follows you if you move across state lines.
Northern Virginia
I-95 Corridor
Hampton Roads
Central & Western Virginia
What people ask us first.
The questions that come up on almost every call.
Am I still a first time buyer if I owned before?
Usually yes. Most programs count a first time home buyer as anyone who has not owned a main home in three years. Gift funds, grants and a pre approval all work the same for you.
How much do I actually need?
Far less than 20%. Three percent on conventional, 3.5% on FHA, zero on VA and USDA. With help on top, sometimes almost nothing.
What are the income limits?
They change by county and household size, and apply to the help rather than the loan. Check the income limits early, because they decide everything.
Do I need a homebuyer class?
Most down payment assistance programs ask for the certificate. It is online, takes a few hours, and is worth doing early.
Pre qualified or pre approved?
A pre qualification is a guess. A pre approval means someone checked your income, savings and credit score. Agents treat them very differently, and gift funds must be documented for either.
Call six months before you are ready.
Almost everything that causes a decline can be fixed with a few months of notice.
Most of our first time home buyer files come from Prince William County, Manassas and Prince George’s County, and every one starts the same way.
If you have been looking for a mortgage lender near me who will explain this without rushing you, that is what the first call is for.