Triad Down Payment Assistance Guide 2026

Name: Mortgages By Jill
Address: 3500 Vest Mill Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27103, US
Telephone: (336) 740-9068

own payment assistance (DPA) is a loan, not a grant. Every program in this guide is set up as a loan, usually a 0% deferred second mortgage, and the terms decide whether it is forgiven over time or repaid when you sell, refinance or move. This guide puts the main Piedmont Triad programs side by side: Housing Connect Greensboro, High Point's City-Wide and Core City programs, Forsyth County's AHOP and CPLP, and the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) programs. Every figure below comes from the program's official page, checked on October 8, 2026, and links back to that page.

Program details change; contact Jill for the most current information.

Written by Jill Burgess, NMLS #100425, VP, NC Mortgage Production Manager at Ameris Bank. Jill has been originating mortgages since 1990 and has originated more than $2 billion in mortgage loans. In 2025, she was recognized as one of the top originators for the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency.

Triad DPA programs at a glance

Program	Area	Income limit	Education required	Stacking (can combine with)	Official link	As of
Housing Connect Greensboro (Homebuyer Assistance Program)	Inside Greensboro city limits	At or below 80% AMI (base offering). Public Service Heroes and #100Homes: above 80% and below 120% AMI			City of Greensboro	2026-10-08
High Point City-Wide / Core City	City-Wide: High Point city limits, outside the Core City. Core City: defined Core City areas	City-Wide: 80% or below the area median income. Core City: no income limits		City-Wide applies to all properties outside the Core City (the two programs cover different areas). Other combinations not stated	City-Wide · Core City	2026-10-08
Forsyth County AHOP / CPLP	AHOP: Forsyth County, outside Winston-Salem city limits and Walkertown town limits. CPLP: Forsyth County, including Winston-Salem city limits	At or below 80% AMI (2026: $48,550 for 1 person to $91,550 for 8 people, effective June 1, 2026)	Yes. 8-hour HUD-approved homebuyer education class plus County home maintenance course. CPLP also needs a 2-hour one-on-one HUD-certified counselor consultation	AHOP and CPLP together, combined maximum $90,000 per household. CPLP must be combined with an NC Home Advantage Mortgage or USDA Section 502 Direct loan	Forsyth County CED	2026-10-08
NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment (NCHFA)	Statewide, North Carolina	Based on household income; varies by county and family size (see NCHFA income limits tool)		Used with an NC Home Advantage Mortgage (buyer must qualify for it). NCHFA lists it as the $15,000 option, "or" the 3% assistance	NCHFA	2026-10-08
NC Home Advantage Mortgage (with up to 3% DPA) (NCHFA)	Statewide, North Carolina	Annual income doesn't exceed $158,000 (borrower qualifying income)		Required pairing for NCHFA CPLP. NC 1st $15,000 is offered as an option alongside the 3% assistance	NCHFA	2026-10-08

lank cell = the official program page did not state it when we checked on 2026-10-08. Ask Jill for the current answer.

Where Jill is listed (checked October 8, 2026)

NC Housing Finance Agency, Find a Lender: Jill Burgess, Ameris Bank, Greensboro (2711 Pinedale Rd, Suite A, Greensboro, NC 27408), listed for NC Home Advantage Mortgage and NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment. Search NCHFA's Find a Lender (ZIP 27408).
Housing Consultants Group, Participating Lender List (lenders certified for City of Greensboro homebuyer assistance): Jill Burgess, NMLS #100425, Ameris Bank. Housing Consultants Group.
NC Housing Finance Agency, Lender Awards: In 2025, she was recognized as one of the top originators for the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. NCHFA Lender Awards.

Lender lists renew every year. Call Jill at (336) 740-9068 to confirm her current status for your program.

Housing Connect Greensboro

The City of Greensboro's Homebuyer Assistance Program (part of Housing Connect GSO) is for homes inside Greensboro city limits. To use any of its three offerings, the City says you must be a first-time homebuyer (or not have owned a home in the last three years), buy a new or existing house as your primary residence, and buy inside city limits.

At or below 80% of area median income (AMI): up to $25,000, with a $5,000 bonus in a designated reinvestment or redevelopment area. The City lists a current-Greensboro-resident requirement for this offering.
Public Service Heroes (above 80% and below 120% AMI): up to $20,000, with a $10,000 bonus in a designated area. For employees of the City of Greensboro, Guilford County or Guilford County Schools, active duty military and military veterans.
#100Homes (above 80% and below 120% AMI): up to $20,000, with a $5,000 bonus in a designated area.

Housing Consultants Group (HCG), the program contact named by the City, describes the assistance as "a loan, offering 0% interest" with a 5- or 10-year affordability period. You apply through an approved lender. Official page: City of Greensboro Homebuyer Assistance Program. More on our Housing Connect Greensboro page.

High Point City-Wide and Core City

City-Wide Homebuyer Assistance covers homes inside High Point city limits but outside the Core City. The City describes it as deferred, low-interest loans toward a down payment, closing costs and prepaid expenses. You need household income at or below 80% of the area median, at least $500 of your own funds, an approved loan from a participating lender, and a purchase price at or below 95% of the area median purchase price for a single-family home. It is a five-year loan at 0% interest, forgiven at 20% per year. It can't be used for earnest money or good-faith deposits.

Core City Homebuyer Incentive is for buyers at all income levels purchasing in the City's defined Core City areas. The sales price can't exceed $300,000, the home must be your primary residence, and it is also a five-year, 0% loan forgiven at 20% per year.

Contact Jill for the current assistance amount for either program. Official pages: City-Wide · Core City. More on our High Point Homebuyer Assistance page.

Forsyth County AHOP and CPLP

Forsyth County Community & Economic Development runs two down payment assistance sources for first-time homebuyers (as HUD defines it):

AHOP-HOME: up to $40,000 or 25% of the sales price, whichever is less. For homes in Forsyth County outside Winston-Salem city limits and Walkertown town limits.
CPLP (NCHFA's Community Partners Loan Pool, through the County): up to $50,000 or 25% of the sales price, whichever is less. Available countywide, including inside Winston-Salem. The County's current CPLP budget period runs January through December 2026.

Both are 0% "silent" loans with repayment deferred for 30 years while you live in the home. Combined AHOP and CPLP help can't exceed $90,000 per household, and the County gives only the minimum needed to qualify. Household income must be at or below 80% AMI (for 2026, $48,550 for one person up to $91,550 for eight people, effective June 1, 2026). Buyers contribute at least $1,000 of their own money (gift funds and seller-paid costs don't count), and the County's sales price limits are $268,000 for existing homes and $305,000 for new construction (effective December 1, 2025). The County requires an 8-hour HUD-approved homebuyer education class and its home maintenance course, and CPLP also needs a 2-hour one-on-one session with a HUD-certified counselor. Funds are first come, first served.

Official pages: Forsyth County CED homebuyer programs · FY27 Assistance Policy (PDF). More on our Winston-Salem Homebuyer Assistance page.

NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment (NCHFA)

NCHFA's NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment is $15,000 for buyers who qualify for an NC Home Advantage Mortgage and are first-time buyers (no principal residence in the past three years), military veterans, or buying in a targeted census tract. It is a 0% deferred second mortgage, forgiven 20% per year at the end of years 11 through 15, with full forgiveness at the end of year 15. Income limits are based on household income and vary by county and family size, the sales price limit is $495,000, and the minimum credit score is 640 (660 for manufactured homes). Official pages: NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment · NCHFA income limits.

NC Home Advantage Mortgage with up to 3% DPA (NCHFA)

The NC Home Advantage Mortgage is NCHFA's mortgage for first-time and move-up buyers, with down payment assistance of up to 3% of the loan amount. NCHFA lists these requirements: buying in North Carolina, living in the home as your principal residence within 60 days of closing, annual income of no more than $158,000, a credit score of 640 or higher, and an FHA, USDA, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or conventional loan through a participating lender. The assistance is repaid only if you sell, refinance or transfer the home before year 15. It is forgiven at 20% per year at the end of years 11 through 15. NCHFA's CPLP must be paired with this mortgage (or a USDA Section 502 Direct loan). Official page: NC Home Advantage Mortgage. More on our NC Home Advantage Mortgage page.

How to start

Call Jill at (336) 740-9068. Share the city or county where you want to buy, your household size and income, and whether you've owned a home in the last three years.
Check the area. Confirm the address is inside the right city limits or county area before you make an offer. Program boundaries decide which help you can use.
Plan your homebuyer education. If your program requires a class or counseling session, schedule it early so your certificate is ready before closing.
Get pre-approved through Ameris Bank. Jill reviews your file for the first mortgage and the assistance programs that may fit.
Let your lender submit the assistance request. For Greensboro and Forsyth County, the program asks your lender to start the assistance application. The program then sets the final amount.
Close with the program's documents. Read the note and deed of trust for your assistance loan so you know when it's forgiven or due.

Program details change; contact Jill for the most current information.

Frequently asked questions

Is down payment assistance a grant?

No. Down payment assistance (DPA) is a loan, not a grant. Each program in this guide is set up as a loan, usually a 0% deferred second mortgage. Some programs forgive the loan over time if you follow the rules, and others are repaid when you sell, refinance or move out. Read the terms for your program before you close.

Can I combine Triad down payment assistance programs?

Sometimes. Forsyth County's policy allows AHOP and CPLP together, up to a combined $90,000 per household. NCHFA's CPLP must be combined with an NC Home Advantage Mortgage or a USDA Section 502 Direct loan. NCHFA presents the $15,000 NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment as an option next to the 3% assistance, not on top of it. Other combinations are decided case by case, so ask Jill before you count on more than one program.

Do I need to take a homebuyer education class?

For Forsyth County AHOP and CPLP, yes: the County's policy requires an 8-hour HUD-approved homebuyer education class and a County home maintenance course, and CPLP also requires a 2-hour one-on-one consultation with a HUD-certified counselor. NCHFA's CPLP page lists at least six hours of education plus two hours of one-on-one counseling. Housing Connect GSO offers free eight-hour homebuyer classes. Ask Jill which class your program needs and when to take it.

Does the home have to be in a certain area?

Yes, for the city and county programs. Housing Connect GSO is for homes inside Greensboro city limits. High Point City-Wide covers homes inside High Point city limits outside the Core City, and Core City covers the defined Core City areas. Forsyth County AHOP excludes Winston-Salem city limits and Walkertown, while the County's CPLP funds include Winston-Salem. The NCHFA programs are available statewide in North Carolina.

Who decides how much assistance I get?

The program that provides the money. The lender sends your file, and the city, county or NCHFA sets the final amount under its own rules. Forsyth County, for example, says it will only provide the minimum amount of funds needed to qualify for a loan.

Is Jill Burgess a participating lender for these programs?

Jill Burgess (NMLS #100425, Ameris Bank) appears in NCHFA's Find a Lender search and on the Housing Consultants Group Participating Lender List used for Greensboro homebuyer assistance. Lender lists renew, so call Jill at (336) 740-9068 to confirm her current status for your program.

How do I get started?

Call Jill at (336) 740-9068. Share where you want to buy, your household size and income, and whether you have owned a home in the last three years. Jill can help you sort out which programs may fit and then coordinates the lender side of the application through Ameris Bank.

Official sources (checked October 8, 2026)

Jill Burgess, NMLS #100425, VP, NC Mortgage Production Manager at Ameris Bank (NMLS #408099). Ameris Bank is the lender; Mortgages By Jill is Jill's educational and marketing site. Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. This page is general information, not a commitment to lend or a guarantee of program approval or funds. All loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines.