The DC Open Doors program page describes how DCHFA uses a pair of loans—a first trust mortgage and a subordinate DPAL—to reduce barriers to buying a home in Washington, DC. Qualified borrowers work with participating lenders who originate 30-year fixed-rate loans at below-market interest rates. To address upfront cash needs, DC Open Doors adds a Down Payment Assistance Loan that bridges the gap between the home’s price and what the borrower’s first mortgage will cover, providing enough to satisfy the minimum down payment requirement. The DPAL is structured as a 0% interest, non-amortizing loan with no monthly payments; instead, it becomes due upon the earliest of 30 years from closing, sale or transfer of the home, the property ceasing to be the principal residence, or a refinance of the first trust mortgage. Eligibility is broad: the program is open to first-time and repeat buyers, District residents and non-residents, and all neighborhoods and wards, subject to a maximum income cap of 170% Area Median Income (with a published upper limit around $275,400) and a minimum credit score of 640. With no sales price cap and a high maximum first trust loan limit, DC Open Doors is strongly positioned in SEO as “DC down payment assistance” and “DC first-time homebuyer program” content, especially for borrowers seeking a 0% deferred second to cover their down payment.