• Grants are available to help buy a home.Real Estate image by Kerry Adamo from Fotolia.com
  
  Coming up with the funds to purchase a home can be a very tough process. Loans and savings can cover some of the expense, but some people still need help to cover brokerage fees and downpayments. After all, a home is still the most costly purchase that many people will make in their entire lives. Coming up with extra cash can be made easier through grants available from government sources and nonprofit groups.
  
  

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a government office that regulates housing laws and strives to help citizens find safe, affordable housing. HUD offers many grants for this purpose, including the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program, which provides homebuyer grants for down payments and closing costs associated with purchasing a home. These funds can also help build a home or make improvements on existing property.
  
  

FHA

• The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) provides assistance for potential homebuyers by finding grants and helping individuals apply. FHA provides help through the Ameridream grant, which provides up to 10 percent of a downpayment for qualifying individuals to aid in completing their dream of owning a home. FHA.com provides links to grants that can cover downpayments as well as a portion of the total cost of the home.
  
  

Housing Assistance Corporation

• The Housing Assistance Corporation is a nonprofit organization that works to help individuals and families buy homes. Their Home Grants program is designed to help working families with limited funds by offering homebuyer grants to cover downpayment costs. Maximum grants are $10,000 and do not have to be repaid. Recipients need to take two home buyer education courses and must qualify for a loan to be eligible.
  
  

Department of Veterans Affairs

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a Specially Adapted Housing Program to veterans to help purchase homes or renovate their homes to make them more accessible for veterans with disabilities. This grant is only offered to vets who have been injured or disabled.