Three counties, three different deals
Each of the three collar counties west and north of the city runs its own first-time buyer program, and they don’t resemble each other. Montgomery County’s is a 0% loan with a 15-year clock. Delaware County’s is a 0% loan that can be forgiven in five years in the right neighborhood. Chester County’s is a need-based deferred loan that can reach $40,000.
| County | Max assistance | Income ceiling | Repayment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 10% of price, up to $10,000 | $85,900 for 1 person; $122,700 for 4 or more | 0%; repaid only if sold, no longer primary, or made a rental within 15 years |
| Delaware | Up to $10,000, depending on the program year; confirm | Not published on the county page | 0%; repaid on sale or transfer; forgiven after 5 years in a Revitalization Area |
| Chester | Up to $40,000, based on need | $66,850 for 1 person; $95,500 for 4 | 0% deferred, no monthly payments |
Montgomery County
The county’s First Time Homebuyers Program lends up to 10% of the sales price with a $10,000 maximum at 0% interest. You repay only if you sell, stop using it as your primary residence, or turn it into an investment property within 15 years.
The county posts income limits as a range from 80% to 100% of area median income: $68,750 to $85,900 for one person, $78,550 to $98,200 for two, $88,350 to $110,500 for three, and $98,150 to $122,700 for four or more. Counseling with the county’s partner is required before you sign a contract, and funds go first come, first served. The Office of Housing and Community Development runs it, with Genesis Housing Corporation as the counseling partner, and the program page was current as of June 2026.
Third-party sites mention a supplement of $15,000 or $30,000 for lower-income buyers from pandemic-era funds. It isn’t on the county’s 2026 page, so treat it as expired until the county says otherwise.
Delaware County
Homeownership First provides down payment and closing cost help as a 0% loan repaid on sale or transfer. If the house is in a Revitalization Area the loan is forgiven after five years. The county page, updated August 18, 2026, says up to $10,000; one of the partner agencies lists up to $5,000. Budget for up to $10,000 depending on the program year and confirm the current figure before you write an offer. The county says funding is limited.
Counseling is required, and the program runs through three partner agencies: Chester Community Improvement Project, Media Fellowship House, and Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania. Residents buying in the City of Chester, Haverford Township, or Upper Darby Township are pointed to those municipalities’ own programs. One Delco note for the closing side: Upper Darby, Radnor, and the City of Chester charge 2.5% transfer tax and Upper Providence charges 3%, against 2% elsewhere in the county.
Chester County
The Housing Partnership of Chester County runs the county’s First Time Home Buyer Program as a 0% deferred loan with no monthly payments, up to $40,000, sized to need. The rules are more specific than the other two counties’:
- Household income at or under 80% of area median: $66,850 for one person, $76,400 for two, $85,950 for three, $95,500 for four, up to $126,100 for eight.
- At least $1,000 of your own money in, plus two months of reserves after closing.
- No more than 20% down, and no more than $15,000 in liquid assets after closing.
- No home ownership in the past three years.
- A monthly homebuyer seminar, a 30-year fixed loan from a local lender, and a sales price under the HUD HOME limit.
In Coatesville the transfer tax runs 3%, and in Malvern and Tredyffrin 2.5%, so the closing cost side needs the help as much as the down payment does.
PHFA on top
PHFA’s Keystone Home Loan limits for Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester counties are the same: a $588,800 price cap, and income of $122,700 for one or two people or $141,100 for three or more, effective July 1, 2026. The seconds are K-FIT at 5% forgiven over ten years, Keystone Advantage at the lesser of 4% or $6,000 repaid over ten years, and the new K-DATE at 5% deferred up to 30 years (8% on loans of $150,000 or less). All three want a 660 score. The PHFA guide has the fine print.
Employer money
Two employer channels reach the suburbs. PHFA’s Employer Assisted Housing program raises Keystone Advantage to $8,000 for employees of participating employers; ask HR if your company is one. Philadelphia Home Buy Now matches an employer’s benefit up to $4,000, but only for a primary residence inside the city, so it drops off the list the moment you cross City Avenue.
Stacking it: a worked example
You buy a $325,000 house in Norristown on an FHA loan with K-FIT, and the lender accepts the county second behind it.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| FHA down payment, 3.5% | $11,375 |
| Buyer’s half of transfer tax, 1% | $3,250 |
| Owner’s title policy | $2,308 |
| Closing protection letter | $125 |
| Cash needed before lender fees and prepaids | $17,058 |
| K-FIT, 5% | $16,250 |
| Montgomery County, 10% capped | $10,000 |
| Assistance total | $26,250 |
The assistance covers the fixed lines with $9,192 left toward lender fees, the escrow deposit, and prepaid interest. The catch: not every lender will layer a county loan under a PHFA second, and each program has its own counseling requirement. Line up the counseling for both before you have a contract in hand, and read the closing costs guide so the fixed lines don’t surprise you.
Montgomery County’s counseling must be finished before you sign a contract, and Delaware County says its funding is limited. Start the paperwork the week you start looking. A house in Norristown or Media can go under contract in days, and the county program doesn’t move at that speed.
Start with one call
Say the town. The lender who calls you back does county-assisted loans in Montgomery, Delaware, or Chester County, and which layers work together for your price gets sorted in one call. Call us.