The Cook County Down Payment Assistance Program helps homebuyers with down payments, closing costs or mortgage buydowns by providing subsidies of up to $25,000 or 5% of the home’s sale price, whichever is less.
In order to find out if you are eligible to use this program for your home purchase, please click the blue button below or download the Club 720 mobile app.
Lenders: If you are interested in participating in this program, please complete the Correspondent Lender Inquiry form at the bottom of this page or contact Elizabeth Robertson at elizabeth.robertson@lhfs.com. Be sure to check the Approved Lenders list above the form before submitting an inquiry.
FIND OUT IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE
Please fill out this form if you are an interested lender. You are required to become a correspondent lender of the program in order to offer it to your clients.
Here are answers to common questions about down payment assistance.
Our DPA programs can be used to help cover your down payment, closing costs, or to buy down your interest rate in order to lower your monthly mortgage payment. They’re designed to reduce the upfront costs of purchasing a home and make homeownership more affordable. However, the DPA cannot be used with 203(k) renovation loans or other similar rehabilitation loan products. If you’re unsure whether your loan type qualifies, your lender can help determine eligibility based on the program guidelines.
When we say “affordable mortgage,” we mean a safe, fixed-rate loan that helps you buy a home without needing a big down payment. With this program, you get down payment assistance in Illinois (which is often forgivable) and a 30-year mortgage that keeps your monthly payment predictable. While the interest rate might be slightly higher than a loan without assistance, it’s still competitive—and often the best option when you don’t want to wait years to save up. The goal is to make buying a home possible and sustainable. That’s what affordability means to us.
Congrats on taking the first step with us! You’ll want to first figure out how much home you can afford – our trusted lending partners can help with this. Head over to the app and submit a homebuyer eligibility form to get started.
Yes, but your lender must first become a correspondent lender of the program. Please visit our Partners page for more information.
The area in which you are looking to purchase your home will determine the amount you’re eligible for. Refer to the program benefits for more information.
That is up to you! Once you’ve completed and submitted all necessary paperwork, provided to you by your lender, the process should move very quickly. Your lender can provide a more accurate timeframe.
Typically, lenders require employment and income information, asset information, debt and liabilities, and proof of residence. They will pull your credit report to check your score, history and debt-to-income ratio.
Club 720 partners are required to respond within 24 hours of receiving your eligibility form.
You’ll need to open your homebuyer eligibility form on the app and pick up where you left off by choosing an available program. This way, we can match you with the tools you need to utilize that program, like a lender or coach.
Not at all. Club 720 conducts a soft credit pull to verify your self-reported score before connecting you with a lender.
The short answer is no. This is a forgivable second mortgage with no payments and no interest!
A coaching report is created for those who need a little help increasing their credit score to meet program requirements. Once you have taken the accountability coaching course we will create a custom report to use as a guide to increasing your credit score.
There are certain programs that can be stacked with Cook County DPA. Please check with your lender for other program options!
