Every legitimate program serving East Bay buyers - what it offers, whether it's funded right now, and how programs stack together.
CalHFA Dream For All - California's shared-appreciation loan: up to a substantial share of your purchase price (program caps apply) for eligible first-generation homebuyers. It runs as a once-a-year lottery with a short registration window (the 2026 window ran Feb 24 - Mar 16). You must be pre-approved with a CalHFA-approved lender before the window - which is exactly why we plan in January.
CalHFA MyHome - a deferred-payment junior loan covering a few percent of the price for down payment and closing costs, layered on a CalHFA first mortgage. Unlike Dream For All, it's available year-round.
FHLB WISH Grant - a 4-to-1 savings match - tens of thousands in potential grant funds - for first-time buyers at or below 80% of area median income, through participating lenders, with homebuyer education required. Your savings get matched four times over, up to the current program cap.
Antioch Home Ownership Program (AHOP) - the City of Antioch's down payment assistance for first-time buyers, administered by BAAHA, with income limits and a homebuyer education requirement. Funding levels change - I check current status for every Antioch client.
Concord First-Time Homebuyer Assistance - limited down payment help administered through BAAHA, alongside county resources.
CHDC CalHome Seconds - deferred second loans (amounts vary with funding) for lower-income county buyers through the Community Housing Development Corporation.
RCF Connects / SparkPoint Grants - grants for first-time Contra Costa buyers, funding permitting.
Housing Trust "Home Access" - the headline-making program offering substantial six-figure assistance as a long-term deferred loan for buyers at or below 80% AMI in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Funding is limited and moves fast.
Contra Costa County MCC - a federal tax credit on a portion of your annual mortgage interest. Currently unfunded - but it comes back periodically, and I watch for it.
CCM Smart Start - our own lender grant toward your down payment for first-time buyers under county income limits. Ask me for the current program sheet - this one comes directly from me, not a waiting list.
Looking Bay Area-wide? See my First-Time Buyer Programs guide grouped by agency - CalHFA, GSFA, WISH and more, with official links.
The buyers who get the most help don't pick one program - they stack them in the right order: a city or county grant, plus a state program, plus a lender grant, plus seller credits negotiated in the offer. The sequencing matters, some programs can't combine, and income limits are measured differently by each. That's the 15-minute conversation that can be worth tens of thousands of dollars: book a free eligibility review and I'll map your personal stack.