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Get Matched Free →Fairfax County First-Time Homebuyers (FTHB) Program
About the Fairfax County First-Time Homebuyers (FTHB) Program
The Fairfax County First-Time Homebuyers (FTHB) Program sells resale-restricted Affordable Dwelling Units to households earning no more than 70% of Area Median Income. The Department of Housing and Community Development runs it for the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA), and it has operated since 1978. County listings posted in October 2026 ranged from $174,395 to $289,300, against a $620,000 Centreville median. The discount is built into the price, not paid as cash.
To qualify, your household needs at least $25,000 in annual income and no more than the 70% AMI limit, which the county's FTHB page listed in October 2026 as $81,400 for one person, $104,600 for three, $116,250 for four and $153,450 for eight. No one in the household may have owned a home, in the US or abroad, in the past three years. Every adult on the deed or loan needs a 620 credit score, and the program caps debt-to-income ratios at 35% for housing and 45% overall, tighter than many FHA approvals. You do not need a Fairfax address, but living or working in the county is worth 5 of the 9 possible preference points in each drawing. Co-signers are not allowed.
Buyers bring 2% down from their own funds, or the higher of 1% or $2,000 with a 680 score, plus 3% to 5% for closing costs and one month of reserves. The loan must be a 30-year fixed rate. A 30-year control period caps your resale price, and each resale inside it starts a new 30 years. The county's Workforce Dwelling Unit Program serves 70% to 120% AMI, but its FY 2025 average sale price was $363,291, versus $260,863 for these units.
How much assistance
Eligibility
- Income limits: Minimum $25,000 annual household income; maximum 70% of AMI by household size, as posted by the County in October 2026: $81,400 (1), $93,000 (2), $104,600 (3), $116,250 (4), $125,550 (5), $134,850 (6), $144,150 (7), $153,450 (8).
- First-time buyer required: Yes — No household member may have had an ownership interest in a home, in the US or abroad, in the past 3 years.
- Credit score minimum: 620
- Geographic restrictions: Must purchase a home within Fairfax County through the FTHB program.
- Homebuyer education required: Yes
How to Apply for Fairfax County First-Time Homebuyers (FTHB) Program
Step 1: Watch the FTHB orientation and certify
Go to fairfaxcounty.gov/housing/homeownership/FirstTimeHomebuyers and watch the recorded FTHB orientation, then complete the online survey to get your orientation session code. Initial and sign the orientation acknowledgment in the FTHB/WDU Application Packet, which confirms you understand the 30-year occupancy, refinance and resale covenants. If you also want a WDU, you must attend that orientation separately. Questions go to 703-246-5087 (TTY 711), weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Step 2: Earn a Virginia Housing education certificate
Take a free Virginia Housing homebuyer class, online or in person, through virginiahousing.com and save the certificate. Every member who will be on the deed or loan needs one dated within two years of applying. For technical problems, Virginia Housing customer service is at 877-843-2123. If you plan to request county down payment assistance, also meet a HUD-approved housing counselor, because the county asks for a HUD counseling certificate with that request.
Step 3: Get the county pre-approval form completed
Ask a lender to complete the Lender Conditional Pre-Approval Letter in the packet, because ordinary pre-qualification letters are rejected. The lender qualifies you at the 35%/45% ratios on a 30-year fixed conventional, FHA or VA loan, with points capped at 1 origination and 2 discount. The packet's lender list includes First Heritage Mortgage, Ameris Bank and Guidance Residential, and lenders with questions can call the FTHB Program Manager at 703-246-5099.
Step 4: Mail or drop off your full application
Send the signed application, a pre-approval letter completed within the past 90 days, your education certificate, legal status documents, driver's license, consent form and current lease to 3700 Pender Drive, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030. Use the drop box right of the main entrance, in an envelope marked Attention to Homeownership Division, or the secure fax at 703-653-1372. The county confirms receipt by email within 72 hours.
Step 5: Complete the information session for a passport
Staff then schedule an information session covering the covenants, the property search and how drawings work. Finishing it earns a Passport to Homeownership, and only passport holders can enter FTHB drawings or buy an immediately available unit. No new applications or passport changes are accepted after a listing posts, so finish every step early. Recertify each year, since annual participation adds up to 3 preference points.
Step 6: Enter drawings and close on your unit
Listings stay open for two weeks, so check the county's FTHB page weekly. Drawings are random within household-size groups, with higher preference point totals considered first, and accessible units go first to applicants who need those features. If selected, you submit a Virginia Housing spending plan, triple-merge credit reports pulled within 90 days, three months of pay stubs and IRS tax transcripts, then sign the contract with a $1,000 deposit.
Real Cost Example
14038 Gill Brook Lane in Centreville, a 4-bedroom, 2-bath FTHB townhome for households of one to eight people, was listed at $207,000, about $413,000 below the $620,000 Centreville median. The 2% down payment is $4,140 and must come from your own funds. With a 680 credit score it drops to $2,070, the higher of 1% or $2,000. At 2% down, the 30-year fixed loan would be $202,860.
Estimated closing costs in the Centreville area run $12,500 to $18,500 on a median-priced home, but the county's 3% to 5% rule puts this unit at $6,210 to $10,350. Some FTHB listings, such as the Atrium at MetroWest condos near the Vienna Metro, advertise a 3% seller closing cost contribution, worth $6,210 at this price. Plan on one month of reserves too.
Because FTHB buyers earn under 80% AMI, they may also get up to $10,000 in CDBG down payment assistance when county funding allows. On this townhome, $10,000 would cover nearly all closing costs, leaving roughly $4,140 down plus reserves as the buyer's cash. Since the down payment must be your own money, confirm with staff how the assistance is applied before you sign.
Combining With Other Programs
The Fairfax County CDBG down payment loan of up to $10,000 is the most common pairing: 78 of the 84 households the county helped buy in FY 2025 used one, for $780,000 in total, and listings describe it as subject to funding availability. The Virginia Housing Down Payment Assistance Grant adds 2% with a Conventional Bond loan or 2.5% with an FHA Bond loan and never has to be repaid. Virginia Housing SPARC funds, administered by the county, can cut the Virginia Housing rate by 1 percentage point.
The Fairfax County Down Payment Loan, a shared-equity pilot for buyers at or below 80% AMI, may not be used on any unit restricted under the Affordable Dwelling Unit or WDU programs, per its April 2026 package. Virginia Housing's grant cannot be combined with its Plus Second Mortgage. FTHB rules also require the 2% down payment from your own funds, and gifts may not exceed 50% of the price. Call the Homeownership Division at 703-246-5087 before choosing any assistance.
Other ways to cut cash to close: a 680 credit score lowers the down payment to the higher of 1% or $2,000, and documented gift funds may cover closing costs. Some listings also carry a 3% seller contribution. Housing Choice Voucher holders need only 1% of their own funds down, though they face a seven-year bankruptcy lookback instead of the usual two years.
Pros and Cons
The FTHB Program's biggest advantage is price. Listings posted in October 2026 ran from $174,395 at Halstead at the Metro II to $289,300 at Chain Bridge Estates in McLean, while the Reston median is $585,000. Prices are set by the county, so there is no bidding, and the down payment can be as low as $2,000 with a 680 score. Up to $10,000 in CDBG assistance may cover most closing costs. The minimum income is only $25,000, and households with members 55 or older can qualify for age-restricted condos such as those on Fairview Farm Drive in Alexandria.
The biggest limitation is the resale cap. For 30 years you must sell at a county-set price and offer the home to the FCRHA first, and any resale inside that window starts a new 30-year period for the next owner. After 30 years, half of any gain over the adjusted purchase price goes to the county's Housing Trust Fund at the first sale. Supply is thin and awarded by drawing, renting is prohibited, and the 70% AMI cap ($116,250 for four) excludes many dual-income households. Those buyers should compare the WDU Program or the Virginia Housing grant.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Program details last verified: October 18, 2026