A straight answer
Can Portland's down payment assistance loan help me buy a home?
The direct answer
Possibly, if you're a first-time buyer purchasing a home inside Portland city limits and you qualify through one of the city's community partners. I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente.
The loan is used with a first mortgage from a participating lender, so I'd check whether a lender I work with participates before you count on it. Check the current program terms with the Portland Housing Bureau.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-10-17
Buying in Portland? Text me where you are in the process.
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Who can qualify for Portland's down payment assistance loan?
The city's program is for first-time buyers, meaning you haven't owned a home in the past three years, buying inside Portland city limits. You start with a homebuying counselor at one of the city's community partners, who assesses whether you're mortgage ready and confirms the income limit for your award, because household income limits depend on the funding source and the home's bedroom count.
The city also lists a HUD-approved homebuyer education class, a minimum borrower investment of $500 (gift funds are allowed), no more than $10,000 in combined liquid assets at closing with anything above that going toward the purchase, and meeting the first mortgage lender's requirements.
How much is it, and when is it repaid?
The city lists awards of up to $80,000 to $100,000, depending on the funding source and where the home is, and says funding is subject to availability. It is a second mortgage on the home. Payments are deferred until you sell, refinance the first mortgage, or stop living there as your primary residence, when the balance is due. The city also describes a forgiveness schedule beginning at the loan's 15th anniversary for owners who stay, and a home-improvement grant set aside from part of the award. Check the current program terms before you count on any of it.
Can I use Portland assistance to buy a condo?
Yes. The city lists single-family units, including existing condos and town homes, as eligible. The condo still has to work for the first mortgage, so I separately review the HOA's reserves, insurance, assessments and project eligibility before you rely on the assistance. The condo financing problems page covers what lenders look at.
Do I have to use a participating lender?
Yes. The city says the loan must be used with a first mortgage loan from a participating lender, and buyers get started through its community partners. I'm not representing that I can do the first mortgage on a Portland assistance purchase; I'd check whether a lender I work with participates before you rely on it.
What should I check in a Portland condo HOA?
I'd ask for the current budget, the reserve study, insurance information, any assessments and recent HOA records. Oregon law requires an association's board to annually conduct a reserve study or review and update an existing one, with exceptions set in the statute. The lender's condo review is separate from the city's assistance eligibility.
Ready to shop? Get pre-approved, and tell me you are working with a Portland community partner.
More on buying, refinancing and home equity in the state: Oregon mortgage questions.
Questions people ask next
Does the property have to be inside Portland city limits?
Yes. The city also says the funding source of the award decides where in the city the home must be.
Are condos eligible?
Yes. The city lists existing condos and town homes, subject to the program's other requirements and the first mortgage's project review.
Are payments deferred?
Yes. The city says payments are deferred until the sale of the home, a refinance of the first mortgage, or when it is no longer your primary residence.
Is funding currently available?
The city says funding is subject to availability. Ask a community partner about the current awards before you plan around one.
Can Zach originate the participating first mortgage?
Not confirmed. I'd check whether a lender I work with participates before you rely on it.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
Word for word from Experience.com. Read all reviews.
Sources and checked dates
Sources: City of Portland, Portland Housing Bureau, Down Payment Assistance Loan Program (checked 2026-10-07) · Oregon Revised Statutes, ORS 100.175 (checked 2026-10-07) · Supplied by Zach, September 9, 2026 (checked 2026-09-09).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (3)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Portland Housing Bureau, Down Payment Assistance Loan: helps first-time homebuyers (no home owned in the past three years) buy within Portland city limits; funding is subject to availability, and the funding source decides where in the city the home must be; it is a second mortgage used with a first mortgage loan from a participating lender; buyers start with a homebuying counselor at a community partner; household income must be at or below an Area Median Income limit set by funding source, confirmed by the counselor; a HUD-approved homebuyer education class, a minimum borrower investment of $500 (gift funds allowed) and no more than $10,000 in combined liquid assets at closing are required; eligible property is single-family units only, including existing condos and town homes; awards can be up to $80,000 to $100,000 depending on funding source and location; payments are deferred until the sale of the home, refinance of the first mortgage, or when it is no longer the primary residence; the loan has a forgiveness option beginning at its 15th anniversary, and part of the award is set aside as a home-improvement grant. | City of Portland, Portland Housing Bureau, Down Payment Assistance Loan Program | 2026-10-07 |
| ORS 100.175: an Oregon condominium association must establish a reserve account for major maintenance, repair or replacement of common elements, and the board "shall annually determine the reserve account requirements by conducting a reserve study or reviewing and updating an existing study"; the board also prepares a maintenance plan. The statute sets exceptions in subsection (5). | Oregon Revised Statutes, ORS 100.175 | 2026-10-07 |
| Zach reports placing loans through more than one wholesale lender and program via his broker channel: the standard home equity line described on this site, plus conventional, government, bank statement and investment-property options. Individual lender names are kept off the public pages until the executed broker agreement for each is on file (California 10 CCR 2848(a)(3)). | Supplied by Zach, September 9, 2026 | 2026-09-09 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-10-17.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Text Zach about buying in Portland
Tell me where you are: a counselor, a home, or just the program. I'll tell you what to check first, including the condo, if it is one.
No credit pull happens from a conversation. Texts go to Zach's cell.