Down Payment Resource Issues Q2 2023 Homeownership Program Index Report

Down Payment Resource (DPR), a provider of technology for connecting homebuyers with homebuyer assistance programs, issued its Q2 2023 Homeownership Program Index (HPI). The firm’s analysis revealed a second consecutive quarterly uptick of 0.5% in the number of homebuyer assistance programs available to help people finance homes, raising the number of programs to 2,373.

Key Findings

An examination of the 2,373 homebuyer assistance programs that were active as of July 3, 2023, resulted in the following key findings:

●     Growth in programs that expand inventory options. In response to the dearth of affordable inventory, agencies continue to introduce programs that expand housing options for low-to-moderate income (LMI) home buyers. Last quarter, 24 more programs introduced support for manufactured housing, an increase of 3.4%. Additionally, three programs that support multi-family purchases were introduced, bringing the number of programs that support two- to four-unit residential properties to 650.

●     Growth in the number of agencies administering programs. As affordability continues to challenge LMI home buyers, 45 more agencies have stepped up to administer homebuyer assistance programs, a 3.9% increase over the previous quarter. Now 1,323 agencies provide assistance to aspiring homeowners across the country.

●     Municipalities administer the lion’s share of homebuyer assistance programs. Municipalities support 42.2% of homebuyer assistance programs, roughly double the 21.8% of programs supported by state housing finance authorities (HFAs) and 21.0% of programs supported by nonprofits — the second and third largest source of homebuyer assistance, respectively.

“Marked growth in the number of agencies administering homebuyer assistance programs reflects how affordability challenges are driving demand for affordable pathways to homeownership,” said DPR Founder and CEO Rob Chrane. “These emerging community champions play a vital role in making home homeownership more accessible to LMI households and marginalized demographics who have lower rates of homeownership.”

“At the same time, agencies are responding to near historic low new listing figures by opening program support of manufactured and multifamily housing,” continued Chrane. “This effectively expands inventory options for homebuyers that rely on these programs.”

A more detailed analysis of the Q2 2023 HPI findings, including infographics and examples of many of the programs described in this release, can be found on DPR’s website at https://downpaymentresource.com/professional-resource/a-guide-to-q2-2023-homebuyer-assistance-program-trends/.