Homeownership First, and who counts as first-time
Three years. The county program, PHFA’s Keystone Home Loan and most of the town programs count you as a first-time buyer if you haven’t owned a principal residence in the last three years. Displaced homemakers count too. The income, asset, price and counseling limits below still apply, and the lender confirms all of them against your file.
That definition matters more in Delaware County than in a lot of places, because the assistance is stacked on a housing stock that still trades under the caps. July 2026 sold medians came in at $250,000 for the Lansdowne postal area, $259,999 for Clifton Heights, $290,000 in Brookhaven and $309,500 in Ridley Park.
The county’s program, run through CCIP, pays up to $10,000 toward the down payment and closing costs, sized by your income, credit and assets. It is a 0% loan repaid when you sell or transfer the house, or if you refinance to consolidate debt. It can be subordinated for a rate-and-term refinance.
Every rule in this section comes off Delaware County’s own 2026 Homeownership First program summary (delcopa.gov), which took effect June 1, 2026. The county rewrites it each program year, so read the live sheet before you plan around it.
You put in at least $1,000 of your own money. Your liquid assets, not counting retirement accounts, stay at or under $15,000 both at application and after settlement. The house has to be an owner-occupied single-family property: detached, twin, rowhouse, townhouse or condo apartment. Maximum sale price is $290,000. One-time use, per buyer.
The 2026 income limits, and the counseling
Eighty percent of median family income, from the county’s 2026 program summary, effective June 1, 2026:
| Household size | Income limit |
|---|---|
| 1 | $68,750 |
| 2 | $78,550 |
| 3 | $88,350 |
| 4 | $98,150 |
| 5 | $106,050 |
| 6 | $113,900 |
| 7 | $121,750 |
| 8 | $129,600 |
The first mortgage underneath has rules of its own: 30-year fixed, at or below market, no more than 3 points, and a loan-to-value of at least 90%. Rehab mortgages are allowed, which matters on a house that needs work.
Eight hours of group education plus at least one individual session, and you finish with a Certificate of Achievement once your credit is in order and your action plan is done. Book it early. The class is the thing that holds people up, not the loan.
Three agencies do it: CCIP at 610-876-8663, Media Fellowship House in Media at 610-565-0434, and Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania at 215-765-1221.
The three municipalities it skips
Chester City, Haverford Township and Upper Darby Township are excluded. Not an oversight, and not a judgment on the towns: all three receive their own federal housing money and run their own programs, so the county program stays out.
Upper Darby’s First Time Homebuyer Program goes up to $20,000 as a forgiveness loan, 20% forgiven each year and gone entirely after five years, with a pro-rated payback if you sell or stop living there inside that window. Its 2025 income limits run $66,850 for one person to $126,100 for eight, the purchase price cap is $304,000 for an existing house and $365,000 for new construction, and you contribute at least $1,000. Counseling runs through Media Fellowship House. Ask for Community and Economic Development at 610-734-7716.
The City of Chester’s Homebuyer Assistance Program, run by CEDA with CCIP, covers half the down payment up to $5,000 plus up to $5,000 in closing costs as a 0% loan. The 2026 income limits are not published, so call CEDA at 610-447-7850 and get them from the source.
Where the $10,000 gets forgiven
Delaware County designates twenty-seven of its municipalities Revitalization communities, and in those the loan is forgiven after five years of owner-occupancy. The list, off the county’s 2026 summary: Aldan, Chester Township, Clifton Heights, Collingdale, Colwyn, Darby Borough, Darby Township, East Lansdowne, Eddystone, Folcroft, Glenolden, Lansdowne, Lower Chichester, Marcus Hook, Millbourne, Morton, Norwood, Parkside, Prospect Park, Ridley Township, Ridley Park, Rutledge, Sharon Hill, Tinicum, Trainer, Upland and Yeadon.
That list is the twin-and-row belt, which is also where the $290,000 cap is easiest to live with. Nineteen more municipalities take the standard version, repayable on sale, per the same sheet: Aston, Bethel, Brookhaven, Chadds Ford, Chester Heights, Concord, Edgmont, Marple, Media, Middletown, Nether Providence, Newtown, Radnor, Rose Valley, Springfield, Swarthmore, Thornbury, Upper Chichester and Upper Providence.
Funding is annual and rolling. Nobody publishes a remaining balance, so the honest answer is “while funds last.”
PHFA, on top or instead
The state agency has its own set. For reservations on or after July 1, 2026, the Delaware County price limit is $588,800 and the income limit is $122,700 for one or two people and $141,100 for three or more. The Keystone Home Loan needs a 660 score for its insured conventional option and 3% to 3.5% down depending on the loan type; the first-time rule is waived in targeted census tracts and for a discharged veteran.
For down payment help, K-FIT gives 5% of the lesser of price or appraised value with no dollar cap, forgiven 10% a year over ten years, with liquid assets capped at $50,000 after closing. Keystone Advantage is the lesser of 4% or $6,000 at 0% over ten years. K-DATE, new for 2026, gives 8% on loans up to $150,000 and 5% above that, with no payments until you sell, refinance or pay off.