Maryland program

First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP)

Maryland route through Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development. Use this page to confirm the core public facts first, then decide whether you need deeper comparison output and lender-call prep.

Forgivable second mortgage Forgivable if occupancy holds 2026-04-19
Agency Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development
Support type Forgivable second mortgage
Amount highlight Current Baltimore City materials describe FTHIP as 50% of required down payment plus GAP funding plus an interest-rate buydown of up to 2.5%, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The city does not publish one single dollar cap on the public materials.
Last verified 2026-04-19

Decision-ready public facts

What this program appears to offer

Quick answer from published facts. Go to Maryland program hub

Amount

Current Baltimore City materials describe FTHIP as 50% of required down payment plus GAP funding plus an interest-rate buydown of up to 2.5%, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The city does not publish one single dollar cap on the public materials.

Type

Forgivable second mortgage

Repayment

The current Baltimore City incentives page states all city incentives except Live Near Your Work are five-year forgivable loans. The 2022 Baltimore City press release described FTHIP forgiveness at 20% per year, but the current city page now frames the core rule more generally as a five-year forgivable loan structure.

First-time buyer

Required

Program guide

What to know before you click through

Use the public facts first. Open the official source when a detail affects eligibility, repayment, or lender choice.

Who qualifies?

First-time homebuyers in Baltimore City, Households at or below 80% of AMI

What support do you get?

Current Baltimore City materials describe FTHIP as 50% of required down payment plus GAP funding plus an interest-rate buydown of up to 2.5%, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The city does not publish one single dollar cap on the public materials.

Do you repay it?

The current Baltimore City incentives page states all city incentives except Live Near Your Work are five-year forgivable loans. The 2022 Baltimore City press release described FTHIP forgiveness at 20% per year, but the current city page now frames the core rule more generally as a five-year forgivable loan structure.

How do you apply?

Use the city-approved homeownership counseling path before writing an offer, then complete the online Neighborly applicant workflow with the required housing counseling agency and lender. The public estimator can be used for rough planning, but final eligibility is determined by the Office of Homeownership.

Official source evidence

The official Baltimore City incentives page says eligible first-time homebuyers at or below 80% of AMI can receive 50 percent of required down payment, GAP funding, and an interest-rate buydown of up to 2.5 percent, plus a possible $5,000 bonus in certain cases. The current city page also says all incentives except Live Near Your Work are five-year forgivable loans.

View official source

Last verified

2026-04-19

Effective date not captured.

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What paid access adds for First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP)

See the shape of the comparison output, risk checks, lender questions, and next-step checklist before you decide whether this program is worth carrying into the paid layer.

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Comparison preview

First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP)

Amount: Current Baltimore City materials describe FTHIP as 50% of required down payment plus GAP funding plus an interest-rate buydown of up to 2.5%, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The city does not publish one single dollar cap on the public materials.

Repayment: The current Baltimore City incentives page states all city incentives except Live Near Your Work are five-year forgivable loans. The 2022 Baltimore City press release described FTHIP forgiveness at 20% per year, but the current city page now frames the core rule more generally as a five-year forgivable loan structure.

First-time buyer: Required

Risk checks preview

What gets flagged before you call a lender

This panel starts filling as soon as the program structure creates a real repayment or lender-fit question.

Lender questions preview

Questions tied to this exact path

  • How does First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP) define a first-time buyer for this household?

Action checklist preview

What you would do next

  • Confirm the first-time buyer definition before you apply.
  • Review the official Program page for First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP).

Paid research preview

What paid research already covers in Maryland

Paid research already tracks city and county programs, employer-assisted paths, public employee or pension paths, specialty and conditional paths for Maryland.

5 tracked deeper records

These are not generic promises. They are the local, employer, public-employee, and specialty directions already sitting behind the paid layer.

What unlocks after payment

Specific program names, source notes, current-vs-conditional judgments, and the next lender or agency questions tied to this state.

1 tracked

city and county programs

City and county down payment or closing-cost programs that never make it into the free statewide layer.

1 tracked

employer-assisted paths

Employer-linked housing incentives and workforce programs that matter only if they fit your job or agency.

1 tracked

public employee or pension paths

Public employee or pension-backed mortgage angles that need slower source review.

2 tracked

specialty and conditional paths

Conditional, paused, or specialty paths worth checking before you assume the state is a dead end.

Private workspace

What paid access adds to this program

The free page gives you the public facts. Paid access turns this program into a shortlist item, comparison row, risk check, and lender-call prep surface.

If the public facts still look relevant, paid access is where you decide whether this path is stronger than your fallback.

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Decision output

Comparison, risk checks, and lender prep

Use the paid layer for side-by-side comparison, overlap checks, lender questions, and next-step notes tied to this exact program.