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City of Parma
Parma down payment assistance: up to $21,900
Buyers who have not owned a home in three years and earn at or under 80% of AMI can get up to $21,900 toward a single-family home in Parma priced at $219,000 or less.
Fact box
Parma Down Payment Assistance
Money can run out
City of Parma
For
Buyers who have not owned a home in the past 3 years
Amount
Up to $21,900
Form
Deferred loan, no monthly bill
Income cap
80% AMI (~$79,500 for family of 4)
Price cap
$219,000
First-timers only
Yes
Fine print
Home in Parma; single-family owner-occupied; HUD-approved homebuyer education
Deferred loan repayable on sale, transfer of title or refinance.
Status watch. Parma Down Payment Assistance has a fixed pot of money that can run dry. Sign up and we will tell you when a new round is funded.
How does the Parma program work?
Believe Mortgage, part of CHN Housing Partners, administers the assistance with money from the City of Parma and Cuyahoga County. You can receive up to $21,900. It is a deferred loan: you make no monthly payment, and the balance comes due when you sell the home, transfer the title or refinance. Because it is repaid at the end rather than forgiven, think about how long you plan to stay and whether you might refinance if rates fall.
Who qualifies?
The house must be in Parma, single-family and your primary residence. You must not have owned a home in the past three years. Income is capped at 80% of AMI, roughly $79,500 for a family of four. The purchase price cannot exceed $219,000. Before closing you need a HUD-approved homebuyer education certificate. Parma’s price limit is well below the Ohio Heroes cap in Cuyahoga County, so the city limit is the one that shapes your search. Single-family is the only home type named, so ask before making an offer on a condo or duplex.
Using it with Ohio Heroes and other help
The Parma page does not say whether this loan can sit alongside Ohio Heroes or OHFA down payment assistance, so a participating lender confirms whether they combine. Teachers, police, firefighters, nurses and veterans buying in Parma who meet both sets of rules should ask the lender to model each option, since Ohio Heroes’ OHFA assistance is forgiven after seven years while the Parma money is repaid when you sell or refinance. Parma sits inside the county but runs as its own program, separate from the countywide one. Our guide to repayable versus forgivable help shows what that difference costs over time.
How do you apply?
Contact Believe Mortgage through its Parma program page, complete a HUD-approved homebuyer class, and get pre-approved with a lender that works with the program. Find a home under $219,000 in Parma and have the lender coordinate the assistance before you sign. Funding depends on yearly city and county dollars, so ask whether money is available when you start. You can also check your eligibility for statewide programs.
Based on the program's official page as of November 2026. Money and rules shift, so confirm terms with the program or a participating lender. Ohio Down Payment Assistance has no affiliation with this program.
Signed up.
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