Homebuyer Education

Loan Originators, you can refer clients to Homebuyer Education (HBE) classes!

Homebuyer Education classes are both in-person and online. Specific Homebuyer Education class providers may be required for Down Payment Assistance programs and

conventional Home-Affordable programs. Find out from your lender and refer your client at the beginning of their process. HBE classes are commonly 8 hours long and the client

receives a certificate upon completion. With some Down Payment Assistance programs, loan originators and realtors may also be required to take the class. Know this up front!

What Is A First Time Homebuyer Education Class Needed For?

A First Time Homebuyer education class is most often required when applying for down payment assistance. 


Homebuyer classes are available with HUD counseling agencies in all 50 states found here. Classes are also offered by HUD counseling agency NFDM.org by contacting Andrew Mason and through HomePrep.


If your client needs the HBE class for down payment assistance, it's best to check with that program provider first as some may require the consumer to go to a specific HUD agency. And, some conventional mortgage grants like Freddie Mac Borrow Smart may require a different class altogether.


The class is commonly 6-8 hours over 1 day or 2-night classes. Many are also offered online.

"An individual who has had no ownership in a principal residence for a period of three years as of the date they purchase the new property. This includes a spouse (if either meets the above test, they are considered first-time homebuyers)."

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Conventional Affordable Mortgage Homebuyer Classes May be Different.

Fannie Mae HomeView is a free, interactive, and comprehensive online course that helps put homeownership into focus for your borrowers. The course is written in everyday language and is designed to help borrowers of all backgrounds learn and navigate the homebuying process with information and resources needed for every step of the way.

Free education!


Freddie Mac created CreditSmart because your financial empowerment is part of our mission.

Need a certificate to qualify for a HomeOne® or Home Possible® mortgage? 

Register for Freddie Mac CreditSmart Homebyer U here.

DPA Articles to Help MLOs

Streamlining the Path to Homeownership: The Benefits of Using HomePrep to get Clients Mortgage-Ready

By Pam Marron • July 10, 2024
Learn how Mortgage Loan Originators (MLOs) can assist clients in overcoming credit, budgeting, and down payment challenges through HomePrep.

2 Ways Loan Originators Can Locate Down Payment Assistance for Clients

By Pam Marron • April 24, 2024
Down Payment Connect is already being used by MLOs and Realtors. Now it's available to HUD Counselors through HomePrep! Down payment assistance is quickly rising to the top need for clients wishing to purchase a home. Down Payment Connect , the back-end data provider for the parent Downpaymentresource.com , houses every down payment assistance program in the US and provides extremely detailed information laid out in a consistent format for each DPA program in their system. Throughout the last two years, Downpaymentresource.com administrators have worked with MLO’s and the HomePrep developers to add nearly all wholesale down payment assistance programs to their platform and they didn't stop there! Extensive filters that allow for selection of specific client needs such as type (ie. SFR, manufactured homes, condos, multi-family, ADU’s), uses like renovation, above AMI income levels, non-1st time homebuyers are just a few of the filters you will find along with stand alone 2nd mortgages, combined 1st and 2nd mortgages and grants. DownpaymentResource.com is also in many MLS systems across the US and provides limited directory information and a free landing page for realtors to promote that they use DPA. Both MLO’s and realtors can subscribe to Down Payment Connect to get more of the extensive directory and back-end tools. Now, through HomePrep, HUD counselors can also use the Down Payment Connect system to filter trhough DPA programs that clients are qualified for, and can even provide wholesale programs when working with an independent loan originator (often called a mortgage broker)! Through HomePrep, HUD counselors are now able to provide MLO’s and clients with the DPA programs that they have found the client is eligible for.

Empowering MLOs: Clients2Homeowners.com's New Chapter in Mortgage Solutions

By Pam Marron • April 10, 2023
Clients2Homeowners.com makes a pivot!

Down Payment Connect is a Game Changer for Mortgage Loan Originators

By Pam Marron • January 26, 2023
Mortgage Loan Originators, Realtors and HUD Housing Counselors Who Need to Find and Promote Down Payment Assistance (DPA) to Clients Need this Tool!
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