The number, then the strings
Every figure on this page comes off Delaware County’s own 2026 Homeownership First program summary (delcopa.gov), which took effect June 1, 2026. The county rewrites that sheet each program year and does not archive the old ones, so treat what follows as the 2026 shape and read the live sheet, or ask your counseling agency, before you plan around a specific number.
Up to $10,000, at 0%, for down payment or closing costs or both. The county sizes the award to your income, your credit and your assets, so $10,000 is the ceiling and not the automatic answer.
It’s a loan, not a grant, in most of the county. You repay it when you sell or transfer the house, and also if you refinance to consolidate debt. A plain rate-and-term refinance is different: the county can subordinate the loan and let it stay put.
The first mortgage has its own rules. Thirty-year fixed, at or below market, no more than three points, and at least 90% loan-to-value, which means the county isn’t going to hand you $10,000 so you can make a big down payment. Rehab mortgages are allowed, which matters on a house that needs work.
Twenty-seven towns where it turns into a gift
In County-designated Revitalization communities the loan is forgiven after five years of owner-occupancy. Five years, then it’s gone. The designation is the county’s, and so is the list below.
The list is the twin-and-row belt: 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.
The standard program, where the $10,000 stays repayable, covers 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.
Who qualifies
First-time means you haven’t owned a home in the last three years, or you’re a displaced homemaker. One award per household, once.
You bring at least $1,000 of your own money to the table. Your liquid assets, not counting retirement accounts, have to be $15,000 or less both when you apply and after settlement. That second half surprises people who were planning to keep a cushion.
Income limits on the county’s 2026 sheet run $68,750 for one person, $78,550 for two, $88,350 for three, $98,150 for four, $106,050 for five, $113,900 for six, $121,750 for seven and $129,600 for eight. Older figures still float around on national websites. Ignore them.
The house has to fit too
Maximum sale price is $290,000. That’s the whole price, not your loan amount.
Eligible property types: single-family owner-occupied, which the county defines to include detached houses, twins, rowhouses, townhouses and condo apartments. The house has to meet county housing quality standards. Renter-occupied properties are out. So are duplexes, which catches people who were counting on a tenant upstairs to carry the mortgage.
The three municipalities the county skips
A property that pays its property tax to Chester City, Haverford Township or Upper Darby Township is not eligible for Homeownership First. Those three receive their own federal housing grants and run their own programs.
Upper Darby’s is bigger on paper: up to $20,000 as a 0% forgiveness loan, 20% forgiven each year, fully forgiven after five years, with a pro-rated payback if you sell or move out during that window. The price cap runs off HUD’s homeownership value limit, $304,000 existing and $365,000 new. You bring at least $1,000, and you need at least eight hours of HUD-approved counseling within the twelve months before you buy. The township’s Community and Economic Development office is at 100 Garrett Road, 610-734-7716.
The City of Chester runs a Homebuyer Assistance Program through CEDA with CCIP: 50% of the down payment up to $5,000, plus up to $5,000 toward closing costs, as a 0% loan, for first-time buyers who complete certified counseling. The current income table isn’t published anywhere we could confirm, so ask CEDA directly at 610-447-7850 before you build a budget around it.
Haverford Township is the third carve-out. Ask the township what it’s running this year.
Counseling comes before the shopping
Eight hours of group counseling plus at least one individual session, and the Certificate of Achievement lands once your credit is in shape and your Action Plan is done. Three agencies do it: CCIP at 610-876-8663, Media Fellowship House at 610-565-0434, and Affordable Housing Centers of PA at 215-765-1221.
Book it before you’re shopping. Sellers in this county are not waiting eight hours for anybody.
Whether there’s money in it right now
The 2026 program summaries and application went up in May 2026 and took effect June 1, 2026, and the assistance is funded through the county’s annual HOME allocation with rolling applications.
What the county does not publish is a dollar allocation or a funds-remaining figure. So the honest answer on availability is that it gets confirmed when you apply, not before. Anyone telling you the pot is definitely open, or definitely closed, is guessing.