FHLBank Des Moines Home$tart

In Casper, the median home price is $260,400, well under Natrona County's $566,354 Home$tart price limit. On a loan that needs 3.5% down, the down payment is $9,114, and the $15,000 Home$tart grant covers it with $5,886 left for closing costs. Nothing is repaid after 60 months in the home, while selling after 36 months would return up to $6,000, the unforgiven 24 months.

Estimated closing costs in Casper run $5,000 to $8,000. After the $5,886 left from the grant, the buyer owes between nothing and $2,114. FHLBank Des Moines caps cash back at $250, so on a $5,000 closing the extra $886 cannot be paid out to the buyer. Any seller credit should be sized to the real shortfall for the same reason.

Natrona County is also one of the 17 counties where Welcome Home Wyoming adds a forgivable second of 3% or 4% of the first mortgage. On a $251,286 loan, 4% is $10,051. Home$tart may layer with other down payment products, so if one lender offers both and U.S. Bank accepts the layering, total help could reach $25,051.

Home$tart's 2026 overview says the grant can be layered with other down payment products in any recording position. In Wyoming that includes Welcome Home Wyoming's 3% or 4% forgivable second in 17 counties, and in Alaska it includes ACDC's Home Opportunity Program, up to $30,000 at 0% outside Anchorage. FHLBank Des Moines also allows Home$tart alongside down payment assistance from its MPF Xtra 3D product. Each partner program keeps its own approval.

Home$tart cannot be combined with NAHI or any other FHLBank down payment program, or with a competitive Affordable Housing Program award. A HELOC cannot be used with the grant. Members may limit Home$tart to mortgages they originate, so the grant may not follow you to another lender. Reservation questions go to the Community Investment Department at dponline@fhlbdm.com, and the bank's main line is 800-544-3452.

To lower cash to close further, ask the seller for a credit, use gift funds where the first mortgage allows them, and keep receipts for closing costs paid early, which FHLBank Des Moines can reimburse with documentation. Native buyers who owned a home in the last three years can look at NAHI's $25,000 grant, which has no first-time rule.

Home$tart's main strength is that it is a true grant: $15,000, or $25,000 in Hawaii, with no interest and no payment, forgiven pro rata over 60 months. FHLBank Des Moines' product guide lists conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, portfolio and HUD 184 first mortgages, and the grant layers with state and local assistance. Condos, manufactured homes and two- to four-unit owner-occupied buildings qualify. Unlike state programs, it reaches anywhere a participating member lends across a 13-state district.

The biggest limitation is supply: the October 2026 release of $3,000,000 was fully reserved, and each member can reserve only $150,000 a year, so a buyer depends on the lender's remaining share. Income is capped at 80% of area median, at least one buyer must be a first-time buyer, and selling within five years repays part of the grant. Funds are reserved only after a signed purchase agreement. Alternatives include NAHI's $25,000 grant, Welcome Home Wyoming's 3% or 4% second, and Alaska's HOP loan.