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REAL ESTATE
How Some Homebuyers are Amassing Six-Figure Down Payment Assistance Packages
Tips from those who landed big subsidies
When Gina Williams moved into a Florida townhouse in late 2024, she became one of the tens of millions of Americans who count themselves as homeowners. Williams also joined a much smaller group: first-time buyers who have amassed more than $100,000 in .
Williams landed a $95,000 loan through Palm Beach County and the Florida Housing Finance Corp., the state’s housing finance agency. She also received about $10,000 toward closing costs and the down payment from her lender.
“This totally changed my life,” says Williams, an administrative assistant and longtime renter.
Down payment help hits six figures in costly markets
Supersized down payment subsidies are something of an outlier. The typical award nationally is $18,000, according to Down Payment Resource, a company that tracks homebuyer assistance.
Yet as home prices flirt with record highs and remain elevated, six-figure down payment assistance packages have grown more common. In fact, dozens of down payment programs now offer more than $100,000 in…
