Cleveland
$115K
Lowest median in our footprint. Cleveland Heights $30K + OHFA + CHN can hit ~$900/mo PITI on a $140K house.
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Ohio · OHFA + city stacks
OHFA pairs with
everything.
Ohio's OHFA YourChoice is the workhorse — 2.5% or 5% of loan amount as forgivable second, statewide. Then Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati layer their own programs on top. Stack right and you close on a Cleveland duplex with money still in the bank.
· The market
Ohio at
a glance.
- $220K
- Statewide median
- +5.4%
- YoY appreciation
- 26 days
- Median DOM
- OHFA + 7 cities
- DPA stack depth
· The metros
Where buyers
actually land.
Columbus
$280K
Fastest-growing OH metro. Homeport + OHFA + City of Columbus DPA. Strong tech employment, OSU anchor.
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Cincinnati
$245K
Hamilton County DPA + OHFA + CDFI lending in target zips. Strong cap rates for investors.
Akron
$150K
OHFA programs work statewide. Home Repair Loan Program adds rehab dollars for older inventory.
· The stack
6 programs
most LOs forget.
The state-level programs are the spine. Local (city / county) DPA stacks on top. The right combo can drop your cash-to-close to a single car payment.
01
OHFA YourChoice! DPA
2.5–5% of loan
Forgivable second mortgage. Forgiven over 7 years. Pairs with FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional. Statewide. Income limits by county.
02
OHFA Grants for Grads
Rate discount + DPA
Recent college grads (within 48 months). Rate discount on top of YourChoice DPA. Heavily used in Columbus / Cincinnati / Cleveland with university populations.
03
OHFA Ohio Heroes
Rate discount
Teachers, firefighters, police, EMTs, healthcare, active military. Discounted rate, stacks with YourChoice.
04
Cleveland Heights — Down Payment Assistance
Up to $30K
Cleveland Heights only. Forgivable + needs-based. Stacks with OHFA YourChoice. One of the deepest local stacks in the country.
05
Homeport (Franklin County, Columbus)
$5–15K
Forgivable second for buyers in targeted Columbus neighborhoods. Pairs with OHFA.
06
City of Columbus — ADDI
Up to $14,999
American Dream Down payment Initiative for buyers inside Columbus city limits. Below 80% AMI. Stacks with OHFA + Homeport.
· The scenario
$140K Cleveland house,
stacked.
- Purchase price
- $140,000
- FHA min down (3.5%)
- $4,900
- OHFA YourChoice! 5%
- −$6,750
- Cleveland Heights DPA (if eligible)
- −$30,000
- Estimated cash-to-close
- ~$1,800
Loan amount: ~$98K. Estimated PITI on FHA 30-year: ~$920/mo. Below Cleveland 1-bed rent.
Ohio is buyable.
If you stack right.
Five minutes. We map your file across every OH program — including the four most LOs forget to mention.