Prince George's County Homebuyer Assistance in 2026: Pathway to Purchase and How to Stack It

Pathway to Purchase is the county's flagship first-time buyer program, run by the Prince George's County Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and funded by the federal HOME program. The current guidelines are dated July 2026. All ZIP codes in the county are eligible, and single-family homes, townhomes, and condos all qualify, including resales, new construction, foreclosures, and short sales.

• Amount: up to $50,000 for down payment, closing costs, or principal reduction. There is no cash back to the buyer at settlement.
• First-time buyer: you, and any co-borrower, cannot have owned residential real estate, including a co-op, anywhere in the past 3 years.
• Income: gross household income at or below 80% of area median income, counting every adult in the home, even if they are not on the loan.
• Ratios: housing payment up to 35% of monthly income and total debts up to 47%, with no exceptions.
• First mortgage: a fully amortizing fixed-rate FHA or conventional loan. Adjustable-rate and balloon loans are not allowed.
• Credit: the county sets no minimum score, but you must qualify with the lender, and MMP's credit rules apply if you combine programs.
• Education: an 8-hour class from a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, finished before your lender submits the application. Online classes are accepted.
• Occupancy: the home must be your primary residence, and the county checks every year.

These are the limits the county publishes for Pathway to Purchase (80% of area median income). The Critical Workforce and Homeownership Equity programs use the 120% column. HUD updates these limits each year, so confirm the current chart with your lender.

The loan has no monthly payment and no interest. If you sell, transfer, do a cash-out refinance, or stop living in the home within 15 years, you repay part of it based on how long you stayed. If you default, the balance accrues interest at 5.75% per year. A rate-and-term refinance can be allowed through subordination as long as you still live in the home.

DHCD now runs three homebuyer programs. All are 0% deferred loans, all require an 8-hour class, and you apply only through an approved lender. Whether two county programs can be combined on one purchase is not spelled out on the county pages, so ask before you plan around it.

Pathway to Purchase is built to pair with a Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) first mortgage, and any MMP-approved lender can do it. MMP describes two paths. Note that MMP's own income and price limits for Prince George's County are much higher (for example, $232,540 income for 3 or more people), so the county's limits are the ones that usually decide eligibility.

MMP's Pathway page still describes the older 10-year forgiveness schedule. The county's July 2026 guidelines use the 15-year schedule shown above, and the county documents you sign at closing control.

• Get pre-approved with a lender on the county's participating lender list or any MMP-approved lender. You cannot apply to the county directly; the lender submits for you.
• Take the 8-hour HUD-approved homebuyer class. Classes usually cost about $25 to $125.
• Shop within the price and income limits. My team and I can help you find homes that fit and that are likely to pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection.
• Write the offer with a long enough settlement date. The county suggests at least 60 days, and it will not accept a file with fewer than 21 business days left on the contract.
• The seller signs a county affidavit, and a lead paint disclosure goes in the package. Sellers are encouraged, but not required, to contribute 3% toward closing costs.
• Order the county's HQS inspection right after ratification ($139 fee, paid by the buyer). It does not replace your own home inspection. Do not pay for repairs on a home you do not own yet; they will not be reimbursed.
• Your lender gets conditional approval on the first mortgage, then submits the complete county package. Allow 21 business days for processing, plus 7 business days for closing after clear to close.
• Close with an approved P2P or MMP title company. Funds are not reserved by applying; files are funded first come, first ready.

The county's pages describe all three programs as active starting July 1, 2026, and do not post a pause or waitlist. They also do not publish a remaining balance, and funding is limited: DHCD reports more than $1.2 million awarded to 33 buyers in fiscal year 2026. MMP tells lenders and buyers to confirm with the county that funds are available before relying on them. Your lender can check, or you can email PathwaytoPurchase@co.pg.md.us or call 301-883-5456.

Some cities and employers in the county have their own homebuyer incentives, such as College Park's employer-linked program. Terms change often, so confirm details directly with the sponsor before you count on them. I work with buyers in English or Spanish and can help you sort out which programs fit your situation.