Find your new home

A quaint cottage on the lake? A big yard for the dog? A unique farm property? A high-rise apartment with incredible city views? Whatever your dream is, not only do we have it in Greater Rochester, we have it at 49% more affordable costs than the national average. Start your home search today to find the perfect place for you and your family.

Review the links below to determine if there are home buying incentives you may qualify for.

Home Purchase Assistance Program

The City of Rochester's Home Purchase Assistance Program Grant (HPAP) provides down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time buyers who meet program requirements.  Grants of up to $3,000 are available for closing cost assistance to first-time buyers who are income eligible.

SONYMA Programs

SONYMA has two primary mortgage programs, Achieving the Dream and Low Interest Rate. Both programs are outlined on this page and are designed to help you find the home you’ve always wanted at a payment you can afford. SONYMA offers optional down payment assistance with all mortgage programs and all programs can be combined with other grants and subsidies.

Homebuyer Dream Program®

The HDP is a Homeownership Set-Aside program managed within regulatory requirements established by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) 12 C.F.R. Part 1291, as may be amended from time to time (AHP Regulation). The HDP provides funds in the form of a grant to be used towards down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and purchasing homes in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NACA

The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (“NACA”) is a non-profit, community advocacy and homeownership organization. NACA’s primary goal is to build strong, healthy neighborhoods in urban and rural areas nationwide through affordable homeownership. NACA has made the dream of homeownership a reality for thousands of working people by counseling them honestly and effectively, enabling even those with poor credit to purchase a home or modify their predatory loan with far better terms than those provided even in the prime market.

VA Home Loans

VA helps Service members, Veterans, and eligible surviving spouses become homeowners. As part of our mission to serve you, we provide a home loan guaranty benefit and other housing-related programs to help you buy, build, repair, retain, or adapt a home for your own personal occupancy. VA Home Loans are provided by private lenders, such as banks and mortgage companies. VA guarantees a portion of the loan, enabling the lender to provide you with more favorable terms.

Federal Housing Administration

The Office of Housing is the largest Office within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and includes the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program

The Section 502 Guaranteed Loan Program assists approved lenders in providing low- and moderate-income households the opportunity to own adequate, modest, decent, safe and sanitary dwellings as their primary residence in eligible rural areas. Eligible applicants may purchase, build, rehabilitate, improve or relocate a dwelling in an eligible rural area with 100% financing. The program provides a 90% loan note guarantee to approved lenders in order to reduce the risk of extending 100% loans to eligible rural homebuyers – so no money down for those who qualify!