Buy a Home · Programs
The Georgia Dream Homeownership Program.
Down-payment and closing-cost assistance for eligible Georgia first-time buyers — including teachers, healthcare workers, military, law enforcement, and buyers with a disabled household member. The plain-English guide.
Georgia Dream is one of the most underused homeownership tools in the state. Run by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), it provides down-payment and closing-cost assistance to first-time buyers (and some repeat buyers in targeted areas) who meet income and purchase-price limits. It can be paired with FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional 30-year fixed-rate loans through participating lenders. For a buyer scraping together a down payment, it can be the difference between renting another year and closing this year.
How Georgia Dream actually works
Georgia Dream isn't a primary mortgage. It's a second mortgage at 0% interest that layers on top of your main loan. Your primary loan (FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional) covers most of the home's price; Georgia Dream covers your down payment and some closing costs. You make a regular monthly payment on the primary loan; the Georgia Dream balance sits in deferred status until you sell, refinance, or pay off the first mortgage.
The four assistance options
Georgia Dream is structured as one program with several tiers depending on who you are. Specific dollar amounts are set by DCA and change periodically — your lender will confirm current figures.
- Standard The base option. Available to any eligible Georgia Dream buyer who meets income, purchase price, and first-time buyer rules. Provides down-payment assistance up to a published maximum.
- PEN — Protectors, Educators, & Health Care Increased assistance for active sworn law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, public school teachers and school employees, and full-time employees of medical facilities and physician practices. If you're in any of these professions, this is the tier to ask about.
- CHOICE Increased assistance for buyers (or buyers with a household member) with a documented disability. Designed to make homeownership reachable for households where standard assistance falls short.
- Hardest Hit Fund / additional layered assistance From time to time, additional state and federal assistance can stack with Georgia Dream depending on funding availability and eligibility. Ask the lender what's currently active.
Are you eligible?
You generally need to meet all of the following:
Buyer requirements
- First-time buyer (no ownership in the past 3 years) — or qualified repeat buyer in a targeted area
- U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Acceptable credit (typically 640+ for most loan products; specifics vary)
- Contribute at least $1,000 of your own funds toward the transaction
- Complete a HUD-approved homebuyer education course
Property & loan requirements
- Home is in Georgia
- Home will be your primary residence (no investment / second homes)
- Purchase price under DCA's county-specific cap
- Household income under DCA's county-specific cap
- Primary mortgage is a 30-year fixed-rate FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional product through a participating Georgia Dream lender
How much assistance — and how it works at closing
The exact dollar amount depends on the option you qualify for and current DCA program funding. At closing, Georgia Dream funds disburse alongside your primary loan: most or all of your required down payment is covered, and a portion of your closing costs may be too. You'll sign two notes — one for the primary mortgage, one for the Georgia Dream second — and the second sits at 0% interest with deferred payment.
You'll still need money at closing for: prepaid items (homeowner's insurance, escrow reserves), inspection costs paid earlier in the process, and the $1,000 minimum contribution from your own funds. Plan on bringing at least a few thousand dollars to the closing table even with full down-payment assistance.
Trade-offs to know
It's not free money. It's a second mortgage you'll repay.
Georgia Dream is fantastic for getting into a home — but the assistance balance comes due when you sell, refinance, or pay off the first. Plan for it like any other second mortgage.
The application path
- Find a participating Georgia Dream lender Not every lender originates Georgia Dream. Ask up front. Ally works with several Georgia lenders who do this regularly — happy to introduce you.
- Get pre-approved against current limits The lender pulls your credit, verifies income, and confirms you fall under the income / purchase-price caps for your target county. You'll know what tier you qualify for and how much assistance to expect.
- Complete homebuyer education A HUD-approved course (online or in-person, typically 8 hours, often $50–$100). Required by the program. Don't skip — closings have been delayed because the buyer hadn't completed the course.
- Shop with confidence Find a home under the purchase-price cap that meets program rules. Make an offer like normal — your lender packages Georgia Dream alongside the primary loan.
- Close with two notes At closing, you sign for both the primary mortgage and the Georgia Dream second. Funds disburse simultaneously. You walk out with keys and a deferred second mortgage on your home.
Frequently asked questions
I owned a home five years ago — am I eligible as "first-time"?
Likely yes. The program defines "first-time buyer" as someone who hasn't owned a primary residence in the last three years. Five years out, the timing test is satisfied.
Can I use Georgia Dream for a fixer-upper / renovation?
Georgia Dream pairs with standard purchase loans, not renovation products like FHA 203(k). For fixer-upper financing in Georgia, talk to your lender about whether the first mortgage can be a renovation product separately — it's a different conversation.
Do I have to live in the home long-term?
It must be your primary residence, not an investment property. There isn't a hard occupancy duration that traps you, but if you sell or move out shortly after closing, the second mortgage becomes due.
Does this hurt my chances of having my offer accepted?
Some sellers are wary of "assistance" loans because of perceived complexity. In practice, the program is well-established and lenders close them every day. Ally explains it cleanly to listing agents during the offer conversation so it doesn't become a hurdle.
What if my income changes during the application?
Tell your lender immediately. Income increases can push you over the cap; income decreases can affect your loan approval. Either way, surfacing it early avoids a closing-table surprise.
Can I buy in any Georgia county?
Yes — Georgia Dream is statewide. Income and purchase-price caps vary by county, so the program looks different in metro Atlanta than in west Georgia, but the program itself is available everywhere in the state.
Where to learn more
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs publishes the official program details, current income limits, purchase-price caps, and a list of participating lenders at dca.ga.gov. The program rules are set there, not by individual lenders or agents.
If you'd rather have someone walk through whether Georgia Dream makes sense for your situation, that's a conversation Ally has with first-time buyers every week.
Could Georgia Dream actually work for you?
Most first-time buyers don't know they qualify until they ask. A 20-minute call can answer it.
Find Out