MN Housing programs, translated into human

Start Up: the flagship first-time buyer program

Start Up is MN Housing's first-mortgage program for first-time buyers (generally: you haven't owned in the last three years). It pairs a competitive fixed-rate first mortgage — conventional or government-backed — with access to the downpayment and closing cost loans below. Income limits and purchase price limits apply and vary by household size and county; many buyers who assume they earn "too much" actually fit. A 640 credit scorereviewed July 2026 is the typical floor, and an approved homebuyer education course is required (it's a few hours, and genuinely useful).

The downpayment & closing cost loans (the actual free-money part)

These attach to an eligible MN Housing first mortgage. Three structures:

First-Generation Homebuyer Loan: up to $35,000

If your parents never owned a home (or lost one to foreclosure, or you aged out of foster care), Minnesota offers up to$35,000 reviewed July 2026 — interest-free, no monthly payments, and forgivable over time at milestone years. For eligible buyers this is frequently the entire down payment and closing costs in one program. It gets its own full guide, because it deserves one.

How Ashlyn actually uses these

1. Check the boxes: first-time status, income and purchase price limits for your county, credit floor.
2. Pick the first mortgage: conventional vs. government, based on your credit profile and the property.
3. Attach the right assistance: MPL vs. DPL vs. DPL+ vs. First-Gen — the choice depends on your income tier and monthly budget.
4. Stack local money on top where programs allow: see county & city grants.

You'll notice this page doesn't publish the income and purchase price limit tables. That's intentional: they change, they vary by county and household size, and a stale table that wrongly tells you "you don't qualify" is worse than no table. The current limits live at mnhousing.gov — or just ask Ashlyn, who checks them for a living.