Portland Metro · Oregon
Down Payment Assistance in Tigard (2026)
You've been doing the math for a while now. Every few months you run the numbers, and every few months the numbers look about the same — meaning the gap between what you have saved and what you need hasn't closed the way you expected. Groceries cost more than they did two years ago. Rent went up, and unlike a lot of things that spike and settle, it didn't really come back down. You got a raise — maybe even a good one — but the savings account tells a different story. That's not a personal failure. That's what trying to save a down payment in 2026 actually feels like for most households in the Portland metro. The math works on paper until inflation quietly eats the margin every single month.
Here's what most buyers in Tigard haven't heard about yet: a program called ONE+ by Rocket Mortgage that changes the down payment equation in a specific but meaningful way. The buyer puts down 1% of the purchase price. Rocket Mortgage contributes 2% — up to $7,000 — as a grant. Not a deferred loan. Not a second lien that comes due when you sell. A grant, which means it never gets repaid, by anyone, ever. It's also not limited to first-time buyers — repeat buyers qualify as long as household income falls at or below the ONE+ limit for Washington County. The program has a $350,000 maximum loan amount, which in Tigard's current market — where the median sold price runs around $650,000 — puts it primarily in reach for condos, townhomes, and a narrow slice of entry-level inventory. That's worth naming honestly upfront.
ONE+ fits a specific slice of the Tigard market, and this guide will tell you exactly what that slice looks like. For buyers shopping above the $350,000 loan ceiling — which covers most of the Tigard market — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) offers state-level bond programs that fill the gap. This guide explains both options, compares them directly, and helps you figure out which one fits your actual purchase target.
Every other down payment assistance option you'll find in Oregon operates as a second mortgage. You borrow the assistance at 0% or low interest, make no monthly payments on it, and repay it when you sell or refinance. That structure helps at the closing table, but the money follows you — it's sitting in the background of every future financial decision you make on that house. ONE+ is structurally different. Rocket Mortgage contributes 2% of the purchase price (up to $7,000) with no repayment requirement, no deferred lien, and no recapture provision. The buyer contributes 1%. The grant is gone — in the best possible sense of that phrase.
The mechanics are clean. The buyer's 1% and Rocket's 2% grant combine to reach a 3% down payment at closing, which is the standard minimum for a conventional loan. The grant portion never comes back. On a $340,000 purchase, that means the buyer is bringing $3,400 to the down payment instead of $10,200 — with Rocket covering the $6,800 difference outright. The loan is a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage, and it requires a 620 minimum credit score. PMI applies until the buyer reaches 20% equity, just like any low-down conventional loan.
The income ceiling for Washington County is $102,640 — that's the 80% AMI figure for the Portland-Vancouver MSA, and it's the threshold ONE+ uses to determine eligibility. One of the more useful features of the program is that it doesn't require first-time buyer status. If your household income is within that limit and the purchase price works within the loan cap, a repeat buyer qualifies on exactly the same terms as someone buying their first home.
| ONE+ by Rocket Mortgage | Standard 3% Conventional | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer's down payment | $3,500 (on $350K home) | $10,500 (on $350K home) |
| Grant from Rocket | $7,000 — never repaid | None |
| Total down at close | $10,500 (3%) | $10,500 (3%) |
| Net cash out of pocket | $3,500 + closing costs | $10,500 + closing costs |
| Upfront savings | $7,000 | — |
| Repayment required | No | N/A |
Elizabeth Davidson, top 2% Portland Metro broker at Cascade Hasson Sotheby's International Realty:
What I've seen ONE+ do for buyers in Washington County is remove the paralysis. A lot of qualified buyers are sitting on the sidelines not because they can't afford the monthly payment — they can — but because building $35,000 or $40,000 in cash feels impossible while they're paying rent. ONE+ collapses that timeline. For buyers targeting the condo and townhome end of the Tigard market — think Summerfield, the downtown corridor, or some of the newer attached product near the Tigard Triangle — that $7,000 grant is often the difference between closing this year and waiting another eighteen months. That's a real, measurable shift in what's possible. If you're considering Tigard and want insight into which neighborhoods align with your priorities and budget, I'd welcome the opportunity to share what I've learned from helping hundreds of families make this move successfully.
The $350,000 loan limit is real, and Tigard's market means it applies to a narrow window of inventory. The citywide median sold price runs around $650,000, and single-family homes specifically have been tracking closer to $679,000 in recent trailing data. The ONE+ ceiling — which translates to a purchase price of roughly $354,000 with 1% down — puts most detached single-family homes entirely out of range.
What the ceiling does reach, in Tigard's current inventory, is the condo and attached townhome tier. One-bedroom condos citywide carry a median around $185,000 — well within range. Two-bedroom condos have been tracking around $379,000 in sold data, putting them just above the threshold for ONE+ eligibility on a standard purchase. Some age-restricted attached units in neighborhoods like Summerfield come in under the ceiling. And in Redfin's current listings data, there are roughly 43 homes listed under $350,000 in Tigard, with inventory surfacing in areas including Summerfield and some of the attached product near River Terrace and the western edge of the city.
| Price Range | What's Typically Available in Tigard | ONE+ Eligible? |
|---|---|---|
| Under $320K | 1BR condos, some age-restricted attached units, fixer condos | ✅ Yes |
| $320K–$350K | 2BR condos, select townhomes, some Summerfield units | ✅ Yes (at the edge) |
| $350K–$450K | Entry-level townhomes, 2BR condos, some attached SFR | ❌ No |
| $450K+ | Most Tigard single-family homes, newer townhomes | ❌ No |
For buyers whose purchase price exceeds what ONE+ can finance, Oregon Housing and Community Services offers two distinct paths through its Flex Lending program. Both pair a fixed-rate first mortgage with a form of assistance — but they're structured differently, and the right choice depends on your income, loan type, and how you weigh a lower rate against upfront cash.
FirstHome is designed for first-time buyers, though veterans and buyers purchasing in IRS-targeted census tracts can use it regardless of prior ownership history. The assistance here doesn't arrive as cash at closing — it arrives as a below-market fixed interest rate on the first mortgage. Income limits vary by county and household size, running roughly $98,000 to $138,000 for Washington County. For buyers targeting homes in Tigard's $450,000 to $600,000 range who don't need upfront cash as much as they need lower monthly payments and better qualifying power, FirstHome's rate advantage is meaningful. One disclosure that must happen at signing: the IRS recapture provision. If a buyer sells within nine years, has experienced a substantial income increase, and realizes a capital gain on the sale, up to 6.25% of the original loan amount could be subject to recapture. All three conditions must occur simultaneously — it's a rare outcome — but it's a real provision and every FirstHome borrower should understand it before closing.
Cash Advantage operates at a slightly higher rate than FirstHome and pairs that rate with a deferred second loan equal to 4–5% of the first mortgage amount. There are no monthly payments on the DPA portion. For borrowers at or below 80% AMI, forgiveness options may apply. The second lien must be repaid at sale or refinance — it doesn't disappear. The program works across FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional loan types, and the NextStep channel removes the first-time buyer requirement entirely, making it accessible to repeat buyers who've outgrown the ONE+ ceiling.
The structural difference between ONE+ and either OHCS option is worth stating plainly: OHCS programs solve the cash-to-close problem by lending you the assistance, then waiting for repayment. ONE+ solves it by giving you the assistance outright. Both work. The difference is whether the help is on your balance sheet when you sell.
| ONE+ by Rocket | OHCS FirstHome | OHCS Cash Advantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistance type | True grant — no repayment | Rate reduction only (no cash) | Deferred second loan |
| Max loan | $350,000 | Up to county limit | Up to county limit |
| Income limit | ≤80% AMI ($102,640) | ~$98K–$138K by county | ~$98K–$138K by county |
| Cash at closing | ✅ Yes — up to $7,000 grant | ❌ No cash benefit | ✅ Yes — 4–5% of loan |
| Repayment required | Never | N/A | Yes — at sale/refi |
| Recapture tax risk | None | Yes (if 3 conditions met) | Yes (if 3 conditions met) |
| First-time required | No | Yes (with exceptions) | No (NextStep channel) |
| Loan types | Conventional only | FHA, VA, USDA, Conv | FHA, VA, USDA, Conv |
| Who processes | Rocket Mortgage directly | OHCS-approved lender only | OHCS-approved lender only |
| Education required | No | Yes | Yes |
When OHCS makes more sense: the purchase price is above the ONE+ ceiling — which describes most Tigard single-family purchases — or the buyer needs FHA or VA financing that ONE+ doesn't support. Buyers with incomes between $102,640 and $138,000 also fall outside ONE+'s window and should look at FirstHome or Cash Advantage depending on whether they need cash to close or a lower rate.
Down payment assistance can genuinely change what's possible for buyers in Tigard, and where you're looking within the city matters more than people realize. Neighborhoods like Bull Mountain and Summerlake-Scholls tend to hold value well and attract strong buyer competition, which means desirable homes often go under contract within days of hitting the market. Metzger offers more accessible entry points and has seen steady interest from first-time buyers who are stretching to make homeownership work. If you're targeting something under $550,000, assistance programs can meaningfully close the gap between what you've saved and what you actually need to get to the closing table.
Before you fall in love with a home, sit down with a lender first. Down payment assistance sounds great on paper, but your full monthly obligation includes property taxes, homeowner's insurance, any HOA dues, and your loan structure — and that combined number can look very different from what an online calculator shows. I always encourage buyers to find a payment that feels genuinely comfortable, not just one that technically gets approved. When the right home appears in a fast-moving market like Tigard, you want to move with confidence, not scramble at the last second.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | $340,000 (example) |
| Buyer's 1% down | $3,400 |
| Rocket's 2% grant | $6,800 — never repaid |
| Total down payment | $10,200 (3%) |
| Estimated closing costs | $6,500–$8,500 (varies by lender credits, title, county) |
| Buyer's estimated total cash to close | ~$9,900–$11,900 |
Tigard's market in 2026 is more measured than it was at the peak years — most homes in the sub-$350,000 range are spending around 70 days on market and receiving one offer, which creates real room for a well-structured DPA offer to compete. The days of sellers routinely rejecting assistance-backed offers in favor of a clean conventional pile are largely behind this price tier. That said, offer presentation still matters. A ONE+ pre-approval from Rocket Mortgage with a clear explanation of the grant structure — and a letter that explicitly confirms no additional seller concessions are required to fund the grant — removes the ambiguity that sometimes makes sellers hesitate.
For buyers targeting homes above the ONE+ ceiling, the question shifts to OHCS. In that range, Tigard's market does see more competition, particularly for move-in-ready single-family homes in established neighborhoods like Summerlake-Scholls, Derry Dell, and the Bull Mountain corridor. An OHCS Cash Advantage offer in that price range is more common than buyers expect — many sellers in Tigard have seen these offers before, and a strong pre-approval with a clean timeline tends to carry more weight than the financing structure itself.
The honest bottom line: DPA works in Tigard's current market, but the right program depends almost entirely on purchase price. If the target is under $354,000, ONE+ is the cleanest tool available anywhere in the state. Above that ceiling, OHCS programs are legitimate, well-understood options that regularly close in this market.
Local Expert Takeaway: For Tigard buyers targeting condos or townhomes under $354,000 with household income at or below $102,640 — ONE+ is the obvious choice, and the grant advantage is real and permanent. For buyers shopping above the ONE+ ceiling, which is most of the Tigard single-family market, OHCS Cash Advantage on the NextStep channel is the most flexible state option and doesn't require first-time buyer status. The one mistake to avoid: choosing a deferred-loan program when ONE+ would have worked — once you're above the income limit or the loan ceiling, the choice is made for you, but below those thresholds, there's no reason to carry a second lien when a grant is available.
Ready to find out if ONE+ fits your situation? Todd is an Executive Loan Officer at Rocket Mortgage who specializes in Washington County buyers. He can run your ONE+ pre-approval the same day and pull a side-by-side with OHCS if your target price is above $350,000 — so you walk into your home search knowing exactly which program applies and what your cash-to-close looks like before you make an offer.
Schedule a free pre-approval conversation with Todd →
✅ ONE+ is a true grant — Rocket Mortgage contributes 2% (up to $7,000) that never gets repaid, making it the strongest DPA option in Tigard for buyers whose purchase target fits the $350,000 loan ceiling.
⚠️ Most of Tigard's single-family market exceeds the ONE+ ceiling — buyers targeting detached homes in the city's residential neighborhoods will need to look at OHCS Flex Lending programs, which provide meaningful assistance but function as deferred second loans repaid at sale.
📍 Washington County has a transfer tax other Oregon counties don't — at 0.10% of the sale price, typically split between buyer and seller, it's a modest line item but worth knowing before you finalize your cash-to-close estimate.
Is there down payment assistance available in Tigard, Oregon?
Yes — Tigard buyers have access to two primary channels. ONE+ by Rocket Mortgage offers a 2% grant (up to $7,000) for buyers purchasing at or below the $350,000 loan limit with household income under $102,640. For purchases above that ceiling, Oregon Housing and Community Services offers Flex Lending programs that pair fixed-rate first mortgages with either a rate reduction or a deferred second loan.
What is the income limit for ONE+ in Washington County?
The ONE+ income limit for Washington County is $102,640, based on the 80% AMI figure for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA as of FY2026. This applies to household income — all earners on the loan application are counted. Tigard's median household income of $108,823 sits just above this threshold, meaning not all households qualify, but many do — particularly single-income households and younger buyers earlier in their earning curve.
What is the difference between ONE+ and OHCS DPA?
ONE+ is a grant — Rocket Mortgage contributes 2% of the purchase price and that money never comes back. OHCS DPA programs (like Cash Advantage) provide a deferred second mortgage that carries no monthly payment but must be repaid when the home is sold or refinanced. For buyers who qualify for both, ONE+ is structurally cleaner because there's no second lien following the property. OHCS programs serve buyers whose purchase price or income falls outside the ONE+ parameters.
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