OHFA Your Choice DPA
2.5% or 5% of the price toward down payment and closing, forgiven after seven years. Pairs with an OHFA 30-year fixed loan. 640 credit for conventional, USDA, and VA.
Cornerstone First Mortgage · Mike Certo NMLS #260555
Ohio home loans, from OHFA's Your Choice 5% forgivable assistance to Columbus and Cincinnati jumbo lending.
Ohio-licensed lending across Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and the rural counties in between. Straight numbers on OHFA's Your Choice and Grants for Grads, the county conveyance fee, USDA in Appalachian Ohio, and the VA benefit. A Cornerstone branch manager who works the file himself instead of handing it to a call center.
The Ohio programs Mike runs
OHFA, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, anchors the first-time and assistance side. Around it sit the standard loan types and a few niche paths. Here is the menu.
Grants for Grads
For recent graduates, a discounted rate plus 3% or 3.5% assistance, forgiven over five years as long as you stay in Ohio. You must have earned a degree within the last 18 months.
Ohio Heroes
A mortgage rate discount for public servants: veterans and military, police, firefighters, EMTs, teachers, nurses, and physicians. It is a rate break, not cash assistance.
OHFA Mortgage Tax Credit
A federal income-tax credit worth up to 40% of your mortgage interest when paired with an OHFA loan, capped at $2,000 a year, or 20% on a standalone certificate.
FHA, VA & USDA
FHA from 3.5% down, VA at zero down for veterans, and USDA at zero down across rural and Appalachian Ohio. Each pairs with OHFA assistance.
Jumbo & self-employed
Above the $832,750 conforming limit, plus bank-statement and 1099 loans for business owners whose tax returns understate their income.
The 2026 Ohio Home Loan Guide
Every Ohio loan type compared by credit and down payment. Free.
Every Ohio loan type compared by credit and down payment. Free.
Why work with Mike
Most Ohio buyers who search for OHFA help land on a national aggregator that sells the lead three times before anyone calls back. That is not us. Mike Certo is a branch manager with Cornerstone First Mortgage who works Ohio files himself, and he will tell you straight which path fits: Your Choice for the biggest forgivable assistance, Grants for Grads if you just finished a degree, a plain conventional or FHA when OHFA adds nothing. He closes these across Columbus, Cincinnati, and the Appalachian southeast, and he knows the parts that trip Ohio buyers up, the county-by-county conveyance fee, the older housing stock, and the well-and-septic appraisal calls out in USDA country.
Complex files are the specialty
Self-employed income, jumbo with student debt, DSCR investor loans below a 1.0 ratio, buy-before-you-sell bridge financing, doctors still in residency. These are the files that stall at a call-center lender and close with Mike. If your situation has a wrinkle, that is the reason to call, not a reason to wait.
Ohio home-loan FAQ
What is OHFA's Your Choice down payment assistance, and how does it work?
Your Choice, from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, gives you 2.5% or 5% of the purchase price toward your down payment and closing costs. It is forgiven in full after seven years in the home. Sell or refinance inside seven years and you repay all of it, since it is a cliff rather than a sliding scale. You need a 640 credit score for conventional, USDA, or VA, 650 for FHA, and an OHFA 30-year fixed first mortgage.
Do you have to be a first-time buyer to use OHFA in Ohio?
For most OHFA loans, yes, defined as not having owned a home in the past three years, though the rule is waived in federally designated target areas. OHFA's Next Home program serves repeat buyers who do not meet the first-time test. Income and purchase-price limits apply and are set by county, so a buyer in Franklin County has different limits than one in Cuyahoga.
How much is the conveyance fee when you sell or buy in Ohio?
Ohio charges a state conveyance fee of $1 per $1,000 of price, and counties add a permissive fee of up to $3 more, so the total runs $3 to $4 per $1,000 depending on the county. Franklin and Hamilton are $3; Cuyahoga is at the $4 maximum. The seller customarily pays it, though the contract can shift it. There is also a small per-parcel transfer fee.
Is much of Ohio eligible for a zero-down USDA loan?
Yes. Outside the Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati metro cores, a large share of Ohio qualifies, including the Appalachian southeast around Athens and Gallia, the farm counties, and small towns statewide. USDA asks for no down payment. Eligibility is address-specific and income-capped near $119,850 for a one-to-four-person household in most counties as of 2026, so confirm your address at USDA's tool.
What is the fastest way to find out if you can help me?
Call (480) 296-6513 and ask for Mike, or send your scenario through the contact form. Our team calls you back shortly. Pre-approval typically takes 24 to 48 hours once your credit and income documents are in.