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?
Minnesota first-time homebuyers, Borrowers meeting current county-based income and purchase-price limits, Buyers using a participating Minnesota Housing lender, Borrowers meeting owner-occupancy requirements
What support do you get?
Statewide first-time-homebuyer mortgage path with downpayment and closing-cost loan options totaling up to $18,000 for eligible borrowers.
Do you repay it?
Start Up is the Minnesota Housing first-mortgage path. Optional downpayment and closing-cost loans can include a Monthly Payment Loan up to $14,000 with a 10-year repayment term at the first-mortgage rate, or a Deferred Payment Loan / DPL+ up to $18,000 with no interest, no monthly payments, and a balloon payoff due at mortgage maturity or when the borrower moves, sells, refinances, or pays off the first mortgage early.
How do you apply?
Complete an approved homebuyer education course before closing, connect with a participating Minnesota Housing lender, and apply for the Start Up first mortgage together with any qualifying downpayment or closing-cost loan option.
Official source evidence
Minnesota Housing says Start Up is for first-time homebuyers and may include income limits up to $152,200 based on county, purchase-price limits up to $659,550 in the 11-county Metro area and $604,400 for all other counties, and downpayment and closing-cost loan options with amounts up to $18,000.
View official source
Last verified
2026-04-19
Effective date not captured.
Paid preview
What paid access adds for Start Up
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
Start Up
Amount: Statewide first-time-homebuyer mortgage path with downpayment and closing-cost loan options totaling up to $18,000 for eligible borrowers.
Repayment: Start Up is the Minnesota Housing first-mortgage path. Optional downpayment and closing-cost loans can include a Monthly Payment Loan up to $14,000 with a 10-year repayment term at the first-mortgage rate, or a Deferred Payment Loan / DPL+ up to $18,000 with no interest, no monthly payments, and a balloon payoff due at mortgage maturity or when the borrower moves, sells, refinances, or pays off the first mortgage early.
First-time buyer: Required
Risk checks preview
What gets flagged before you call a lender
- Start Up requires a participating lender.
- Start Up must be paired with a specific first mortgage.
Lender questions preview
Questions tied to this exact path
- Does Start Up require a participating lender for this household and loan setup?
- Which first-mortgage product must be paired with Start Up, and can it be combined with the saved options?
Action checklist preview
What you would do next
- Confirm the first-time buyer definition before you apply.
- Confirm whether Start Up requires a participating lender.