Down Payment Assistance | The 2 Mortgage Guys

Luminate Path, Chenoa Fund, Essex NHF, Indiana Housing, Hoosier Homes & VLIP grants for Fannie/Freddie — lower cash to close with The 2 Mortgage Guys.

Down Payment Assistance | The 2 Mortgage Guys

Luminate Path, Chenoa Fund, Essex NHF, Indiana Housing, Hoosier Homes & VLIP grants for Fannie/Freddie — lower cash to close with The 2 Mortgage Guys.

Down Payment Assistance

Who DPA is for — and how it helps you buy

You've got options with Luminate Bank!

Other State Programs

Down payment assistance side by side

Rules that apply across our DPA programs

Ready to lower your cash to close?

Close with less cash out of pocket. The 2 Mortgage Guys layer in-house Luminate Path , Chenoa Fund, Essex NHF, Indiana Housing, Hoosier Homes, and VLIP grants for Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac — so Indiana buyers can get to the closing table without draining savings.

Can afford the payment but not 3.5–5% cash at closing? Down payment assistance fills that gap with grants, soft seconds, or forgivable layers — so you close with less cash out of pocket and keep reserves for the move-in.

DPA program options

Start with featured in-house Luminate Path — our go-to recommendation for most buyers. Chenoa Fund, Essex NHF, Indiana Housing, Hoosier Homes, and VLIP grants are partner options that support FHA and Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac conventional loans, but these DPA programs are not stackable — we'll help you choose the one that best fits your file.

These are extra state and local down payment assistance options available through Luminate Bank — beyond the featured national and Indiana programs above.

( )

Compare options

See how Luminate Path, Chenoa Fund, Indiana Housing (IHCDA), Hoosier Homes, VLIP, and Essex NHF stack up on assistance amount, credit, income rules, and who each program fits — then open the program page that matches your file.

Hover or focus any underlined feature or abbreviation for a plain-English definition.

All programs: require the home be used for primary residence; temporary buydowns are not allowed; co-signers are not allowed; renovation products are not allowed; homebuyer education is required if all borrowers are first time homebuyers. Essex NHF additionally requires homebuyer education for at least one borrower (stricter than the first-time-only rule above).

Guidelines, income limits, and rates change. This comparison is educational — Ryan and Steve underwrite your scenario against current program rules before you write an offer.

Lender overlays

These overlays apply to Luminate Path, Chenoa Fund, IHCDA, and VLIP. Payment-shock reserve rules apply to Path, Chenoa, MHFA, and Essex files.

Payment shock reserves — Path, Chenoa, MHFA & Essex

If payment shock is greater than 100% (for example, current rent is $1,000 and the new payment is $2,250 — payment shock is 125%: $1,250 ÷ $1,000), or the borrower lives rent-free, 2 months of reserves are required . Gift funds cannot be used to meet the reserve requirement. If rent is not clearly noted on the bank statement, it must be verified with a VOR.

Talk with Ryan and Steve about Luminate Path, Chenoa Fund, Essex NHF, Indiana Housing, Hoosier Homes, and VLIP grants — then get a clear pre-approval that accounts for assistance up front.

A couple holding a key, symbolizing new homeownership

window.open(APPLY_URL, '_blank', 'noopener')} className="px-8 py-4 rounded-xl text-[#020617] text-lg font-semibold transition-all duration-200 hover:shadow-[0_0_20px_rgba(30,205,241,0.25)] active:scale-[0.98] active:translate-y-[1px]" style= >See What You Qualify For
window.open(APPLY_URL, '_blank', 'noopener')} className="px-8 py-4 rounded-xl bg-[#020617] text-white text-lg font-semibold transition-all duration-200 hover:bg-[#0f172a] active:scale-[0.98] active:translate-y-[1px]">Get Pre-Approved
navigate('/contact-us')} className="px-8 py-4 rounded-xl bg-white/90 text-[#020617] text-lg font-semibold transition-all duration-200 hover:bg-white active:scale-[0.98] active:translate-y-[1px]">Contact The 2MG Team

} onBlur= >Skip to main content
} className="px-8 py-4 rounded-xl text-sm font-semibold border border-[#1e293b] text-[#e2e8f0] transition-all duration-200 hover:bg-white/[0.05] active:scale-[0.98] active:translate-y-[1px]">Explore Luminate Path
} className= aria-label="Featured: Luminate Path — learn about in-house down payment assistance options" role="listitem" >
} className= aria-label="Chenoa Fund — learn about national down payment assistance options" role="listitem" >
} className= aria-label="Essex NHF — learn about national FHA down payment assistance" role="listitem" >
} className= aria-label="Indiana Housing — learn about First Step and Next Home IHCDA programs" role="listitem" >
} className= aria-label="Hoosier Homes — learn about Indiana forgivable down payment assistance" role="listitem" >
} className= aria-label="VLIP Grant — expiring soon — learn about the $2,500 conventional down payment credit" role="listitem" >
} className="text-xs sm:text-sm font-bold text-[#f8fafc] hover:text-[#1ecdf1] transition-colors duration-200 active:scale-[0.98] inline-block leading-tight border-b border-dotted border-transparent hover:border-[#1ecdf1]" aria-label= onMouseEnter= onMouseLeave= onFocus= onBlur= >
} className="px-5 py-2.5 rounded-xl text-sm font-semibold border border-[#1e293b] text-[#e2e8f0] transition-all duration-200 hover:bg-white/[0.05] hover:border-[#1ecdf1]/40 active:scale-[0.98] active:translate-y-[1px]" > details