Key Points:

• Arizona governor allocates $5 million for down payment assistance

• Single applicants making under $94,000 qualify for assistance in Phoenix

• Qualifying buyers must complete a homebuyer education course to receive assistance

Some would-be homeowners in the state’s largest counties could get a helping hand from the state.

Gov. Katie Hobbs has allocated $5 million from the state’s share of federal COVID relief dollars to expand a program started last year that provides down payment assistance to first-time home buyers. That’s enough to provide $9,000 for 75 would-be homeowners in Pima County. The governor’s office said the additional dollars should help to purchase 65 homes in Maricopa County.

All this is in addition to an earlier $13 million program that provided financial assistance to about 500 home buyers throughout the state.

That includes rural counties, which, according to the governor’s office, already received their second infusion of dollars. With both pots of money, the governor’s office said 589 homes have been purchased through the program in the state’s 13 rural counties.

With the new dollars for Maricopa and Pima counties, the total number of Arizonans getting a financial bump from what is called the Arizona is Home program should reach 1,000.

All of this started as home prices in Arizona had skyrocketed, leaving many families unable to afford the monthly mortgage payments.

Those price increases have cooled somewhat with more homes on the market, but they remain largely unaffordable to most first time home buyers. 

Redfin, which tracks such things, says that the median sale price of a home in Phoenix in June was $455,722, up 0.2% since last year. But homes were remaining on the market longer.

In Tucson, Redfin reports a median sale price of $332,690, up 2.7%. But there, too, homes remained on the market for 61 days before sale, up 11 from the prior year.

“By putting homeownership within reach, we’re helping working families unlock the Arizona Promise and build their future right here in Arizona,” the governor said in a prepared statement. “Through Arizona Is Home, we’ve turned the dream of owning a home into a reality for hundreds of Arizonans, and now even more Arizonans will have that same opportunity.”

The extra funds are limited to first-time home buyers who have been Arizona residents for at least six months.

It starts with a cap on income equal to 120% of the area median income.

In Tucson, that’s $80,760 for individuals and $115,320 for a family of four.

The figures are higher for the Phoenix area: $94,350 for single applicants and $134,650 for families of four.

But both programs also require buyers to have a credit score of at least 640, which is considered below average, as scores generally range from 300 to 850, with higher figures considered exceptional. That score is based on several factors, the largest being whether someone makes timely bill payments and how much of their credit they have used.

In all cases, those who qualify must attend a homebuyer education course.

Hobbs has acknowledged that programs like this, as well as others designed to make homes and rentals more affordable, deal with just a small portion of the problem.

Lawmakers have approved various measures designed to address aspects of the issue. That includes requiring many cities to allow homeowners to build “casitas” on their property and mandates for communities to allow for more duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes.

There is even a new law to allow construction to begin as early as 5 a.m. to expedite home building and provide heat protection to workers.

But what has eluded a deal has been a “starter home” proposal designed to override local zoning regulations to provide more affordable housing.

Proponents want to allow for smaller lot sizes, decreased setback requirements and elimination of requirements from cities like rear-yard patios and landscaping.

Cities and neighborhood groups have balked at the changes.

And there’s another potential sticking point: whether the homes built should be required to be sold to those who will live in Arizona, or if they could be snapped up by investors.

Hobbs vetoed a 2024 version of the bill. This year, that legislation failed to reach Hobbs.