Official program database FirstResponderHomePrograms

Public facts first. Not a lender.

Maryland program

First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP)

Maryland route through Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development. This page stays free for the core public facts. Open paid access only when you need the full state board, related paths, and the decision layer around this program.

Forgivable second mortgage Forgivable if occupancy holds 2026-04-23
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 up to 2.5% in interest-rate-bydown-related assistance, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The current city page and flyer use that framing, the calculator applies 2.5% to loan amount, and the 2025 Learn More PDF still uses different wording about closing costs and 2.5% of sales price.
Last verified 2026-04-23

Open questions

Current formula wording conflicts across official city materials

This page stays public because the official structure is still useful, but these details should not be flattened into fake certainty.

The program is live, but the current city page, calculator, flyer, and 2025 Learn More PDF still do not express the full formula in exactly the same way.

Source note: The current city page and flyer describe FTHIP as 50% of required down payment plus GAP funding plus up to 2.5% in interest-rate-bydown-related assistance, the current calculator applies 2.5% to loan amount, and the 2025-04-16 Learn More PDF still uses different wording about closing costs and 2.5% of sales price.

Decision-ready public facts

What stays free on this program page

Quick answer from published facts. Use this first, then jump to Go to Maryland program hub if you need the wider state context.

Amount

Current Baltimore City materials describe FTHIP as 50% of required down payment plus GAP funding plus up to 2.5% in interest-rate-bydown-related assistance, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The current city page and flyer use that framing, the calculator applies 2.5% to loan amount, and the 2025 Learn More PDF still uses different wording about closing costs and 2.5% of sales price.

Type

Forgivable second mortgage

Repayment

Current Baltimore City materials treat FTHIP as a five-year forgivable loan within the city incentive menu.

First-time buyer

Required

Program guide

What to know before you click through

This is still the free fact layer. Open the official source when a detail affects eligibility, repayment, lender choice, or whether this path should stay on your shortlist.

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 up to 2.5% in interest-rate-bydown-related assistance, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The current city page and flyer use that framing, the calculator applies 2.5% to loan amount, and the 2025 Learn More PDF still uses different wording about closing costs and 2.5% of sales price.

Do you repay it?

Current Baltimore City materials treat FTHIP as a five-year forgivable loan within the city incentive menu.

How do you apply?

Complete city-approved homebuyer education within one year before making an offer, contribute at least $1,000 of your own funds, then complete the online Neighborly workflow with the required housing counselor and lender. The public calculator is only an estimate, final eligibility is set by the Office of Homeownership, and settlement should be at least 30 days after application submission.

Application timing

Current city guidance says applicants complete the Neighborly workflow and settlement should be at least 30 days after application submission.

Official source evidence

The current Baltimore City page and calculator still frame FTHIP as 50 percent of required down payment plus GAP funding plus up to 2.5 percent in interest-rate-bydown-related assistance, but the 2025 Learn More PDF still uses different wording about closing costs and 2.5 percent of sales price. The city tracker still showed $405,845 in remaining FTHIP funds as of 2026-04-20.

View official source

Last verified

2026-04-23

Current city page checked 2026-04-23; Learn More PDF dated 2025-04-16; B-HIP flyer dated 2026-01-15

Paid preview

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.

Example paid output for this program. The free page stays visible either way.

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 up to 2.5% in interest-rate-bydown-related assistance, with an additional $5,000 bonus for eligible renter-to-owner or disability-related cases. The current city page and flyer use that framing, the calculator applies 2.5% to loan amount, and the 2025 Learn More PDF still uses different wording about closing costs and 2.5% of sales price.

Repayment: Current Baltimore City materials treat FTHIP as a five-year forgivable loan within the city incentive menu.

First-time buyer: Required

Timing: Current city guidance says applicants complete the Neighborly workflow and settlement should be at least 30 days after application submission.

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?
  • Which document version should control First-Time Homebuyers Incentive Program (FTHIP) right now: program guide, fact sheet, or lender packet?

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)
Open the full Maryland board

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.

Open the full Maryland board

Private workspace

What paid access adds after the free facts

This page stays free for public facts. Paid access turns this program into a shortlist item, a related-path decision layer, risk checks, lender-call prep, and a next-step queue.

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

Save and compare

Keep this program in your shortlist

Active accounts can save this program in one click. If you still need sign-in or checkout, the same button routes you to the right next step.

Save this program for side-by-side comparison and later follow-up.

Full state board

See what this should be compared against

5 tracked deeper leads sit behind the full Maryland board around this program.

Open the full Maryland board

Risk and lender prep

Catch friction before you call

Use the paid layer for overlap checks, repayment friction, occupancy traps, and lender questions tied to this exact program.

Open shortlist

Action queue

Turn this page into next steps

Paid access turns the public facts into a follow-up list, lender-call order, and a clearer backup-path plan.

Open decision layer