Your county and city want to help too

Beneath the state programs sits a second layer most buyers never hear about: county housing authorities and individual cities running their own first-time buyer assistance. Funding pools open and close through the year, so this page deliberately describes the landscape rather than quoting dollar figures that could go stale — Spencer checks live availability for your specific address.

Where the local money lives

• Hennepin County — county-level homeownership assistance programs serving buyers across the county, including suburban communities.
• Dakota County CDA — a long-running first-time buyer assistance tradition covering cities like Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville.
• Ramsey County & St. Paul — city and county programs aimed at first-time buyers, with targeted funds for specific neighborhoods.
• Minneapolis — city homeownership assistance programs, periodically including targeted or neighborhood-specific funds.
• Suburban city programs — individual cities (examples in recent years include Woodbury, Bloomington, and Shoreview) periodically fund their own buyer assistance. Availability changes street to street and year to year.

Three things to know about local programs

1. They're address-specific. Eligibility can literally change across a city boundary line. The same buyer might qualify in Eagan and not in the next suburb over.
2. They're first-come, first-funded. Annual pools can run out. If a program fits you, apply early in its cycle — another reason the lender check happens before house hunting.
3. Stacking rules vary. Some local funds combine with Minnesota Housing loans; some don't. Getting the stack right can be worth thousands — getting it wrong can unwind an approval.

Program landscape reviewed July 2026. Availability, amounts, and eligibility change frequently — verify current terms before relying on any program. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is not affiliated with any government agencies. These materials were not approved by HUD, FHA, VA, USDA, Minnesota Housing, or any other government agency.