Welcome Home Wyoming (Cheyenne Housing Authority)
By Tyler Thompson · NC-Licensed Real Estate Agent · Updated November 2, 2026
About the Welcome Home Wyoming (Cheyenne Housing Authority)
Welcome Home Wyoming is a Cheyenne Housing Authority program that pairs a 30-year fixed first mortgage with a forgivable second of 3% or 4% of the loan amount for down payment and closing costs. eHousingPlus administers it, and U.S. Bank buys and services the loans. The second carries 0% interest and no payments and is forgiven after the 360th month, with no first-time buyer rule and no purchase price limit.
To qualify for Welcome Home Wyoming's assistance, the home must be in one of 17 counties: Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Fremont, Goshen, Johnson, Laramie, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Platte, Sheridan, Sweetwater, Uinta or Washakie; the unassisted rate is offered statewide. Income counts only the qualifying income on the loan application. FHA, VA and USDA loans, and Fannie Mae loans above 80% AMI, allow up to $140,140 in every county for any household size, while the 80% AMI conventional limit is $83,520 in Laramie County and $79,600 in Natrona. Every borrower completes a homebuyer education course meeting HUD or national standards before closing. Credit minimums come from U.S. Bank's product guides rather than the program guide, except a 660 score for manufactured homes. The rule people miss is that the second is not forgiven pro rata.
The full second comes due if you sell, refinance or pay off the first mortgage before month 360, and it will not be subordinated for a refinance or HELOC. There is no recapture tax and no cash back. WCDA's Home$tretch loan, by comparison, lends up to $15,000 at 0% with a 620 score and a $1,500 buyer contribution, but only behind WCDA's own first mortgages.
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How much assistance
Eligibility
- Income limits: 1003 qualifying income, all household sizes (effective 05-12-26): $140,140 for FHA, VA, USDA and Fannie Mae over 80% AMI in every county. Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac at or below 80% AMI (effective 06-13-26): Albany $85,600, Laramie $83,520, Natrona $79,600, Campbell $89,360, Sweetwater $82,720.
- First-time buyer required: No
- Geographic restrictions: Assisted rate available only in Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Fremont, Goshen, Johnson, Laramie, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Platte, Sheridan, Sweetwater, Uinta and Washakie counties (unassisted rate statewide). Paired with the program's own 30-year fixed FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae HFA Preferred or Freddie Mac HFA Advantage first mortgage from a participating lender. Owner-occupied 1-2 unit homes; no purchase price limit; manufactured homes need a 660 score.
- Homebuyer education required: Yes
How to Apply for Welcome Home Wyoming (Cheyenne Housing Authority)
Step 1: Confirm the county and your income limit
Assistance applies in the 17 assisted-rate counties, which include Laramie County for Cheyenne, Natrona for Casper, Albany for Laramie, Campbell for Gillette and Sweetwater for Rock Springs. Check the income table on page 13 of the Administrator's Guidelines, linked from ehousingplus.com/homeownership/welcome-home-wyoming/, which lists $85,600 for 80% AMI conventional loans in Albany County and $89,360 in Campbell.
Step 2: Take an approved homebuyer education course
Every primary borrower on the note and warranty deed needs a certificate from a course meeting HUD or national industry standards, finished before closing. The guide names eHomeAmerica, Fannie Mae HomeView, Framework, Freddie Mac CreditSmart, MGIC FinallyHome and the Wyoming Housing Network. MGIC's ReadyNest course is not accepted, and education completed after closing does not count.
Step 3: Choose a participating lender and loan type
Work with a lender trained by eHousingPlus to originate the program. Eligible first mortgages are FHA, VA, USDA Rural Development, Fannie Mae HFA Preferred and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage, all 30-year fixed. Conventional borrowers at or below 80% AMI get reduced-cost mortgage insurance. Freddie Mac files run through LPA and Fannie Mae files through DU, and your lender may add credit overlays above U.S. Bank's minimums.
Step 4: Pick Assisted or EDGE pricing
Assisted pricing gives a 3% or 4% second at the program's posted rate, with no discount points allowed. EDGE offers the same 3% or 4% second, or none, in exchange for a 2% discount point that the buyer, seller or the assistance itself can pay. The program does not cap the lender's origination fee, so compare the loan estimate from at least two participating lenders.
Step 5: Reserve once you have a signed contract
The lender can reserve only after you sign a sales contract for a specific property. Reservations run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain Time, in the eHousingPlus eHPortal, and the second mortgage is reserved automatically with the first. Under the November 2, 2026 guide update, a new reservation must close and be purchased by U.S. Bank within 60 days.
Step 6: Close with the second mortgage and fees
At closing you sign the second mortgage and second note, recorded with the first, and the lender funds the 3% or 4% and is reimbursed by U.S. Bank. Expect a $300 eHousingPlus compliance fee, an $84 tax service fee and a $475 U.S. Bank funding fee. Assistance left after costs goes to principal, and you must move in within 60 days.
Real Cost Example
In Cheyenne, the median home price is $333,700, and Laramie County is an assisted-rate county with no price cap. With a 3.5% down payment of $11,680, the first mortgage is $322,020. A 4% Welcome Home Wyoming second equals $12,881, enough to cover the down payment with $1,201 left for closing costs, and the 3% option would be $9,661.
Estimated closing costs in Cheyenne run $6,500 to $10,000, and the program's own fees, $300 to eHousingPlus plus $559 to U.S. Bank, are part of that bill. After the $1,201 left from the second, the buyer brings $5,299 to $8,799, less any seller credit. Because cash back is not allowed, a seller credit above the costs goes to principal.
A first-time buyer could add FHLBank Des Moines Home$tart, a $15,000 grant that its 2026 overview allows to layer with other down payment products, if the lender is a member and U.S. Bank accepts the extra lien. With the 4% second, total help would reach $27,881, with any excess applied to principal. Home$tart's October 2026 release is fully reserved.
Combining With Other Programs
The likeliest pairing is FHLBank Des Moines Home$tart, a $15,000 grant for first-time buyers at or below 80% of area median income, which FHLBank Des Moines lets layer with other down payment products in any recording position. Native American buyers can use FHLBank Des Moines' $25,000 NAHI grant instead. Either one needs a lender that is both a Welcome Home Wyoming participant and an FHLBank Des Moines member, plus U.S. Bank's acceptance.
Welcome Home Wyoming and WCDA's Home$tretch or Amortizing DPA cannot share a purchase, because each comes only with its own first mortgage: Welcome Home Wyoming with the loan U.S. Bank buys, and WCDA's assistance with WCDA's own products. Buy-downs and construction-to-permanent loans are not permitted either. Program questions go to eHousingPlus at 888-643-7974, option 2, and loan questions to U.S. Bank HFA at 800-562-5165.
Other ways to cut cash at closing include a seller credit within the loan type's limits, gift funds, and reimbursement of overpaid escrow, which the guide allows even though cash back is not. On an EDGE loan, the seller can pay the 2% discount point. Buyers outside the 17 counties can still use the program's unassisted rate statewide.
Pros and Cons
Welcome Home Wyoming's biggest strength is how few hurdles it sets: no first-time buyer rule, no purchase price limit, and an FHA, VA or USDA income ceiling of $140,140 for any household size. The 3% or 4% second costs nothing while you keep the loan, and EDGE lets the seller pay the 2% point. On Cheyenne's $333,700 median, 4% is about $12,881, close to the $15,000 WCDA Home$tretch maximum, and the 17 counties cover Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Gillette and Rock Springs.
The biggest limitation is the repayment trigger: the second is forgiven only at month 360, so selling or refinancing in year 10 or year 29 repays the full amount, and it will not be subordinated for a refinance or HELOC. Assistance stops at 17 counties, credit minimums sit in U.S. Bank's guides rather than the program guide, and manufactured homes need a 660 score. Unused assistance goes to principal. Buyers who expect to move should compare Home$tart's $15,000 grant, forgiven over five years, or WCDA's Home$tretch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Welcome Home Wyoming have to be repaid?+−
Which Wyoming counties qualify for Welcome Home Wyoming assistance?+−
What credit score do I need for Welcome Home Wyoming?+−
What are the Welcome Home Wyoming income limits?+−
Do I need to be a first-time homebuyer for Welcome Home Wyoming?+−
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Sources
Last verified November 2, 2026.
- eHousingPlus: Welcome Home Wyoming program page
- eHousingPlus: Welcome Home Wyoming Administrator's Guidelines (PDF)
- Wyoming Community Development Authority: Homebuyers
- FHLBank Des Moines: Home$tart
- FHLBank Des Moines: Down Payment Products 2026 Program Overview (PDF)
- FHLBank Des Moines: 2026 AHP Implementation Plan (PDF)