See programs you qualify for

By Tyler Thompson · Licensed Real Estate Agent · Updated April 24, 2026

Homebuyer Programs in Yakima, WA (2026)

Population: 97,511 | Median home price: $387,000 | Est. closing costs: $7,500 - $11,500

Yakima is the largest city in Central Washington's Yakima Valley and sits about 150 miles southeast of Seattle with a median sale price around $387,000 — well below the Puget Sound average. Yakima buyers have one of the deepest local DPA benches in the state. OIC of Washington offers up to $20,000 (or 20% of purchase price) in deferred DPA after completing housing counseling, Yakima Federal Savings grants up to $15,000 to qualifying first-time buyers through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, and the City of Yakima's Office of Neighborhood Development Services runs its own First Time Homeownership Program using CDBG and HOME funds for buyers inside city limits. Statewide, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission layers on Home Advantage DPA (up to 5% of the mortgage) plus HomeChoice, Opportunity, or Veterans second mortgages worth $10,000 to $15,000. Yakima Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity provides a sweat-equity path to ownership, and the Yakima Housing Authority Homeownership Voucher lets Section 8 participants convert rental vouchers into mortgage subsidies. With Yakima's relatively low home prices, well-stacked assistance can cover most of the cash needed to close.

City Programs in Yakima

Program Name	Type	Amount	First-Time Only	Details
City of Yakima First Time Homeownership Program	Deferred Loan	Amount not published publicly; funded through federal CDBG and HOME allocations	Yes	View →

City of Yakima First Time Homeownership Program

Type:: Deferred Loan
Amount:: Amount not published publicly; funded through federal CDBG and HOME allocations
First-time only:: Yes

County Programs in Yakima County

Program Name	Type	Amount	First-Time Only	Details
Yakima Housing Authority Homeownership Voucher Program	Government-Guaranteed Mortgage	Monthly Housing Choice Voucher subsidy applied to mortgage payment in place of rent	Yes	View →

Yakima Housing Authority Homeownership Voucher Program

Type:: Government-Guaranteed Mortgage
Amount:: Monthly Housing Choice Voucher subsidy applied to mortgage payment in place of rent
First-time only:: Yes

State Programs in Washington

Program Name	Type	Amount	First-Time Only	Details
Covenant Homeownership Program	Forgivable Loan	Up to 20% of the purchase price (or appraised value, if lower), capped at $150,000, plus buyer-paid closing costs	Yes	View →
Home Advantage DPA	Deferred Loan	Up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount	No	View →
Home Advantage Needs-Based DPA	Deferred Loan	Up to $10,000	No	View →
HomeChoice Down Payment Assistance	Deferred Loan	Up to $15,000	Yes	View →
Opportunity Down Payment Assistance	Deferred Loan	Up to $15,000	Yes	View →
Veterans Down Payment Assistance	Repayable Loan	Up to $10,000	Yes	View →

Covenant Homeownership Program

Type:: Forgivable Loan
Amount:: Up to 20% of the purchase price (or appraised value, if lower), capped at $150,000, plus buyer-paid closing costs
First-time only:: Yes

Home Advantage DPA

Type:: Deferred Loan
Amount:: Up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount
First-time only:: No

Home Advantage Needs-Based DPA

Type:: Deferred Loan
Amount:: Up to $10,000
First-time only:: No

HomeChoice Down Payment Assistance

Type:: Deferred Loan
Amount:: Up to $15,000
First-time only:: Yes

Opportunity Down Payment Assistance

Type:: Deferred Loan
Amount:: Up to $15,000
First-time only:: Yes

Veterans Down Payment Assistance

Type:: Repayable Loan
Amount:: Up to $10,000
First-time only:: Yes

Federal Programs

Program Name	Type	Amount	First-Time Only	Details
FHA Loans	Government-Insured Mortgage	Up to FHA county loan limits ($541,287 floor to $1,249,125 ceiling for single-family in 2026)	No	View →
Good Neighbor Next Door (HUD)	Government Property Sale Program	50% discount off the list price of HUD-owned homes	Yes	View →
Home Possible Mortgage (Freddie Mac)	Government-Guaranteed Mortgage	Up to conforming loan limits ($832,750 standard / $1,249,125 high-cost in 2026); 3% minimum down payment	No	View →
HomeReady Mortgage (Fannie Mae)	Government-Guaranteed Mortgage	Up to conforming loan limits ($832,750 standard / $1,249,125 high-cost in 2026); 3% minimum down payment	No	View →
HUD $100 Down Program	FHA-Financed HUD REO Purchase	Only $100 down payment required (vs. standard 3.5% FHA down payment). HUD may also pay up to 3% of buyer's closing costs.	No	View →
USDA Rural Development Loans	Government-Guaranteed Mortgage	100% financing (no down payment required); loan amount up to appraised value	No	View →
VA Loans	Government-Guaranteed Mortgage	No loan limit for veterans with full entitlement (0% down at any price); partial entitlement subject to conforming limits ($832,750 standard in 2026)	No	View →

FHA Loans

Type:: Government-Insured Mortgage
Amount:: Up to FHA county loan limits ($541,287 floor to $1,249,125 ceiling for single-family in 2026)
First-time only:: No

Good Neighbor Next Door (HUD)

Type:: Government Property Sale Program
Amount:: 50% discount off the list price of HUD-owned homes
First-time only:: Yes

Home Possible Mortgage (Freddie Mac)

Type:: Government-Guaranteed Mortgage
Amount:: Up to conforming loan limits ($832,750 standard / $1,249,125 high-cost in 2026); 3% minimum down payment
First-time only:: No

HomeReady Mortgage (Fannie Mae)

Type:: Government-Guaranteed Mortgage
Amount:: Up to conforming loan limits ($832,750 standard / $1,249,125 high-cost in 2026); 3% minimum down payment
First-time only:: No

HUD $100 Down Program

Type:: FHA-Financed HUD REO Purchase
Amount:: Only $100 down payment required (vs. standard 3.5% FHA down payment). HUD may also pay up to 3% of buyer's closing costs.
First-time only:: No

USDA Rural Development Loans

Type:: Government-Guaranteed Mortgage
Amount:: 100% financing (no down payment required); loan amount up to appraised value
First-time only:: No

VA Loans

Type:: Government-Guaranteed Mortgage
Amount:: No loan limit for veterans with full entitlement (0% down at any price); partial entitlement subject to conforming limits ($832,750 standard in 2026)
First-time only:: No

Nonprofit Programs

Program Name	Type	Amount	First-Time Only	Details
OIC of Washington Down Payment Assistance	Deferred Loan	Up to $20,000 or 20% of the home's price, whichever is lower	Yes	View →
Yakima Federal Savings First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance	Grant	Up to $15,000	Yes	View →
Yakima Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity Homeownership Program	Zero-Interest Loan	Below-market home sale paired with an affordable 0% interest mortgage	Yes	View →

OIC of Washington Down Payment Assistance

Type:: Deferred Loan
Amount:: Up to $20,000 or 20% of the home's price, whichever is lower
First-time only:: Yes

Yakima Federal Savings First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance

Type:: Grant
Amount:: Up to $15,000
First-time only:: Yes

Yakima Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity Homeownership Program

Type:: Zero-Interest Loan
Amount:: Below-market home sale paired with an affordable 0% interest mortgage
First-time only:: Yes

Free eligibility check

18 programs available in Yakima. See which ones you qualify for.

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How to Apply

Step 1: Check your eligibility. Most Yakima programs target households at or below 80% of Yakima County area median income, though Yakima Valley Habitat caps around 60% AMI and Yakima Federal and OIC have their own thresholds. Your housing counselor will map your specific numbers.

Step 2: Complete homebuyer education. OIC of Washington runs first-time homebuyer classes that also qualify applicants for the OIC DPA. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission provides free online or in-person education that satisfies its requirements for Home Advantage, HomeChoice, Opportunity, and Covenant programs. Yakima Federal requires attendance at its own first-time homebuyer class.

Step 3: Contact a local housing partner. Start with OIC (509-731-5332) for one-on-one counseling and the $20,000 DPA, or with the City of Yakima ONDS (509-575-6101) for the First Time Homeownership Program. Yakima Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity (yakimahabitat.org) handles sweat-equity homeownership applications.

Step 4: Get pre-approved with a participating lender. For WSHFC programs, you must use a participating lender. Yakima Federal Savings, Solarity Credit Union, and other local lenders commonly layer state and local DPA. If you are pursuing Yakima Federal's $15,000 grant, Yakima Federal must originate the first mortgage.

Step 5: Find a home within program limits. WSHFC Home Advantage and Opportunity purchase price limits for Yakima County update annually — confirm current limits with your lender. Yakima's $387,000 median price is comfortably below most program ceilings.

Step 6: Submit your application. Your lender submits WSHFC DPA alongside your first mortgage. Local programs like OIC or ONDS underwrite separately; allow extra time when layering multiple sources.

Step 7: Close on your home. DPA funds are applied at closing to cover down payment and closing costs according to each program's rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much down payment assistance can I get in Yakima?+

A well-stacked Yakima buyer can combine $20,000 from OIC of Washington, up to $15,000 from Yakima Federal Savings, and up to 5% of the mortgage from WSHFC Home Advantage DPA plus a $10,000-$15,000 state second mortgage (HomeChoice, Opportunity, or Veterans). Not every buyer qualifies for every program, but layered assistance can easily exceed $40,000 on a typical Yakima purchase.

What is OIC of Washington's DPA program?+

The Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington offers first-time buyers up to $20,000 — or 20% of the home's purchase price, whichever is lower — in deferred down payment assistance. Applicants must complete OIC's housing counseling sessions and first-time homebuyer class. Contact Antonia Mende at 509-731-5332 or a.me@oicofwa.org to enroll.

Does Yakima Federal Savings offer its own DPA grant?+

Yes. Yakima Federal provides up to $15,000 in down payment assistance to qualifying first-time homebuyers through a Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines grant. Buyers must use Yakima Federal for their first mortgage and complete the bank's first-time homebuyer class. Call 800-331-3225 for current eligibility and grant availability.

Do I have to be a first-time homebuyer?+

Most Yakima programs require first-time buyer status, typically defined as not having owned a home in the past three years. This applies to OIC DPA, Yakima Federal's grant, City of Yakima ONDS, WSHFC HomeChoice, Opportunity, Yakima Habitat, and the YHA Homeownership Voucher. WSHFC Home Advantage DPA and Veterans DPA do not require first-time buyer status.

What homebuyer education is required?+

WSHFC programs require a free WSHFC-sponsored homebuyer education class plus one-on-one pre-purchase counseling. OIC of Washington is a HUD-approved counseling agency and its classes satisfy both its own DPA requirement and typical WSHFC requirements. Yakima Federal requires attendance at its own first-time homebuyer class.

Can I use a Housing Choice Voucher to buy in Yakima?+

Yes. The Yakima Housing Authority administers a Homeownership Voucher Program that lets eligible Section 8 participants apply their voucher subsidy toward a mortgage for up to 15 years (on mortgages of 20+ years). Coverage includes Yakima and surrounding Yakima County cities plus Kittitas County. Must be an active HCV participant for at least one year and employed full-time. Contact YHA to begin the application.