New Hampshire First-Time Home Buyer Guide 2026
New Hampshire Housing’s Home First program and down payment assistance explained, the other NH Housing options including the 1stGenHomeNH pilot, community-by-community income and purchase price limits, and the targeted communities that waive the first-time buyer rule.
NH Housing Home First for New Hampshire Buyers
New Hampshire Housing’s Home First and First Plus program is bond-financed and provides a rate-advantaged mortgage, with the option to add a fixed $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 in cash down payment assistance. It is made through NH Housing’s approved lenders.
| Requirement | Home First / First Plus |
|---|---|
| Loan type | A mortgage insured by FHA, VA, USDA RD, or Fannie Mae (conventional) |
| Buyer | First-time homebuyer (no ownership in the past 3 years), buying in a targeted area, or a qualified veteran |
| Income and purchase price | Within the limits for the town or city where the property is located |
| Occupancy | Owner-occupied primary residence |
| Down payment assistance | Optional fixed $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 |
In NH Housing’s targeted communities the first-time homebuyer requirement does not apply, and the requirement is waived for qualified veterans. The targeted communities are listed in the income limits table below.
NH Housing Down Payment Assistance
NH Housing’s mortgage programs include an option to receive cash assistance of up to $15,000 toward the down payment and closing costs. It is a second mortgage, not a grant, but it carries no interest and no monthly payment.
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Assistance amount | Up to $15,000 |
| Use | Down payment and closing costs |
| Form | Second mortgage |
| Interest rate | 0% interest and APR |
| Payments | No periodic payments |
| Term | 30 years |
| Due in full | If you sell, refinance, file for bankruptcy, no longer occupy the home as your primary residence, or in 30 years |
| Homebuyer education | Required |
| Program Paired With the Assistance | Income Limit |
|---|---|
| Home First | Town income and purchase price limits |
| Flex Plus | Incomes up to $184,500 |
| Preferred Plus | Incomes up to 80% of area median income, as determined by Fannie Mae |
| Preferred Plus Over 80% AMI | Conventional financing for incomes above 80% of area median income, up to $184,500 |
Because the assistance is repaid in full when you sell or refinance, it reduces your equity at that point even though it costs nothing month to month. Confirm current terms with New Hampshire Housing.
Other NH Housing Options
Buyers who do not fit Home First have other NH Housing routes, including a pilot program for first-generation homebuyers.
| Program | Who It Is For | Key Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Home Preferred | Conventional borrowers | 3% down (5% for 2–4 units); income up to $184,500 |
| Preferred | Borrowers under 80% of area median income | 3% down conventional with a reduced, discounted mortgage insurance option; can finance manufactured homes in resident-owned communities |
| 1stGenHomeNH | First-generation homebuyers | $10,000; pilot program with limited funding |
1stGenHomeNH
NH Housing’s 1stGenHomeNH pilot offers $10,000 to first-generation homebuyers. In general, that means a borrower (and any co-borrower or non-borrowing spouse) who has never owned a home, and whose parents or legal guardians have not owned a home during the buyer’s lifetime; NH Housing’s full definition includes additional qualifying circumstances. Buyers must purchase a one-to-four unit primary residence in New Hampshire, finance through an NH Housing mortgage program and approved lender, and complete face-to-face homebuyer education through AHEAD, HOMEteam or the Housing Partnership.
Funding for 1stGenHomeNH is limited, and NH Housing reserves the right to suspend or end the pilot at any time. Check availability with New Hampshire Housing before you plan around it.
NH Housing Home First Income and Purchase Price Limits
Home First sets income limits for 1–2 person and 3+ person households, and purchase price limits for 1-, 2- and 3–4-unit homes, by county and community. The limits below are effective July 6, 2026.
| County | Community | Income, 1–2 Person | Income, 3+ Persons | Price Limit (1 / 2 / 3–4 Units) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap | Laconia (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Belknap | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
| Carroll | All communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
| Cheshire | All communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
| Coos | Berlin, Lancaster, Whitefield (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Coos | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
| Grafton | Littleton (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Grafton | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
| Hillsborough | Goffstown, Manchester (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Hillsborough | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $535,000 / $680,000 / $825,000 |
| Merrimack | Concord, Pittsfield (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Merrimack | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
| Rockingham | Newmarket, Portsmouth (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Rockingham | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $535,000 / $680,000 / $825,000 |
| Strafford | Dover, Rochester, Somersworth (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Strafford | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $535,000 / $680,000 / $825,000 |
| Sullivan | Claremont (targeted) | $158,100 | $184,500 | $645,000 / $825,000 / $995,000 |
| Sullivan | All other communities | $131,800 | $151,500 | $530,000 / $675,000 / $820,000 |
Limits are from NH Housing’s Home First program limits. In targeted communities the first-time homebuyer requirement does not apply, and it is waived for qualified veterans everywhere.
Who Qualifies in New Hampshire
NH Housing layers its own rules on top of whatever first mortgage you use. You have to clear both.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Occupancy | Owner-occupied primary residence |
| First-time buyer | Required for Home First unless buying in a targeted community or a qualified veteran |
| Income | Town limits for Home First; up to $184,500 for Flex Plus and Home Preferred; up to 80% of area median income for Preferred Plus |
| Loan type | FHA, VA, USDA RD or Fannie Mae conventional for Home First |
| Homebuyer education | Required for the down payment assistance |
| Lender | Through one of NH Housing’s approved lenders |
New Hampshire First-Time Home Buyer Steps
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Check the limits | Find your town’s Home First income and purchase price limits and whether it is a targeted community |
| 2. Choose an approved lender | NH Housing mortgages are made through its approved lenders |
| 3. Take homebuyer education | Required for the down payment assistance |
| 4. Pick the program | Home First, Home Preferred or Flex Plus, with or without the assistance |
| 5. Get pre-approved | The lender reviews your income, credit and debts |
| 6. Make an offer and close | On Home First, keep the price within your community’s purchase price limit |
Compare the assistance against your savings plan. It carries no monthly payment, but it is repaid when you sell or refinance.
