Dear Friend,  

We are taking action to make sure every Michigander has a safe, affordable place to call home.

Since I took office, we’ve built or rehabbed over 50,000 units, and we are not taking our foot off the accelerator. We secured the largest investment to build housing in state history last year, totaling almost $1.4 billion to build or rehabilitate nearly 10,000 homes, and the MI State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has broken records for investment and rehabilitation of affordable housing for the past 2 years.

With increasing costs and high interest rates, it’s a difficult time to buy a house, especially for first-time homebuyers. That’s why, here in Michigan, we’re taking steps to make it easier for young people to afford a home. The State of Michigan has programs in place to match up to $10,000 of your down payment, lower your mortgage by 1%, and save you thousands on federal taxes.

Brick by brick, we are laying the foundation to build up our communities, ensuring they thrive for generations to come. Check out the resources below that Michigan has to offer to lower the cost of buying a home.

Sincerely,

Lowering Costs for Homebuyers 

The State of Michigan offers several programs to help reduce taxes, mortgage costs, and utility bills, as well as assist homebuyers with their down payment.

• Down Payment Assistance

We are helping thousands of families buy homes through Down Payment Assistance and the MI Home Loan Mortgage Program. The MI Home Loan program offers up to $10,000 in down payment assistance and is available to first-time homebuyers statewide and repeat homebuyers in targeted areas. All homebuyers work directly with a participating lender. To determine eligibility, please contact an experienced participating lender.

• Driving Down Mortgage Interest Rates

MSHDA’s Rate Relief Mortgage program lowers the mortgage interest rate for eligible first-time homebuyers by a full percentage point. The program has helped make homeownership more affordable for hundreds of Michigan families.

• Unlocking Tax Savings for Homebuyers

We are supporting first-time homebuyers statewide and repeat homebuyers in targeted areas through the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Program. The MCC Program provides housing assistance by issuing a federal tax credit of up to 20% of mortgage interest paid annually, capped at $2,000 per year. All homebuyers work directly with a participating lender. To find out if you are eligible, contact an approved MCC Lender.

• Lowering Energy Costs

We expanded the Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) to over 300,000 more households, which saves over $700 per year for 50,000 households. By reducing utility bills, we’re lowering costs for homeowners.

Do you want to learn more about buying a home or do you have questions about achieving your housing goals? Check out MSHDA's Housing Education Program which proudly supports a trusted network of HUD-approved Housing Counseling agencies, dedicated to helping you make confident, informed housing decisions. Each year, our HUD-certified counselors empower over six thousand Michigan households to achieve their goals-whether buying a home, seeking rental support, overcoming foreclosure, or building financial independence.

Build, Baby, Build!

We all need a safe, affordable place to call home, but we are facing a housing crisis driven by a lack of supply. Our response to the statewide housing shortage is simple: build, baby, build! By building up supply, we can drive down costs and make our neighborhoods better places to live, work, and invest. 

• Last year, we secured the largest investment to build housing in state history, totaling almost $1.4 billion to build or rehabilitate nearly 10,000 homes.
• We’re also helping cities and towns fix up damaged properties and eliminate blight in our communities. The Revitalization and Placemaking program backs projects to turn abandoned places into housing or commercial places, making communities a better place to live.