Keep the Cedar Rapids city and NFC purchase files distinct
The city's First Time Home Buyer program and Neighborhood Finance Corporation (NFC) have separate applications, property reviews and course requirements. Compare providers above, then identify the exact purchase route before arranging inspections or education. The Iowa hub explains statewide IFA options.
Check the city program's status before planning a closing around it
Cedar Rapids says its First Time Home Buyer program closed on June 5, 2026 and is not accepting new applications. Contact the coordinator at 319-286-5874 for the next confirmed intake information. The program describes forgivable assistance with continued primary-residence obligations, city-limit and floodplain restrictions, and a separate city inspection. These are requirements to review with staff for any future file; the presence of an application portal does not mean applications are open.
Have NFC confirm the address, mortgage and repair sequence
NFC's Linn County page limits its lending to the approved Cedar Rapids map and provides an address locator. It does not establish eligibility throughout Linn County. Call 319-777-7127 with the property address and ask a loan originator to confirm the lending area and purchase product. Its down-payment program requires an NFC first mortgage and owner occupancy; a preapproval from another directory provider is not an NFC assistance approval.
NFC describes down-payment assistance as a deferred loan that becomes repayable on sale, loss of primary-residence use or certain refinances. That obligation is separate from any forgivable renovation assistance in the purchase package. Ask for each loan's written terms and payoff conditions. Its Cedar Rapids application sequence calls for an NFC evaluation, independent contractor bids and underwriting; work completed before NFC closing is not reimbursed. Confirm the repair scope and timing before hiring a contractor or paying for improvements.
Choose the course accepted by the named assistance program
The city requires education offered by a HUD-approved counseling agency and explicitly says Fannie Mae HomeView does not meet its program requirement. NFC's education page, by contrast, lists HomeView as an online option for NFC borrowers. Confirm the accepted provider and completion document with each administrator before enrolling. A course accepted for NFC or statewide financing should not automatically be used for a future city assistance file.
Horizons' Financial Counseling Services page offers housing counseling, budget and credit preparation, and an online homebuyer course route. Contact Horizons at 319-398-3943 for the appropriate class or individual service, current fee and certificate handoff. NFC also identifies Horizons as its Cedar Rapids education partner. Ask the loan originator whether any additional program-specific session is required; completing a general class does not reserve a loan or establish property eligibility.
Published by Mortgage Firm, an independent directory. Program administrators and lenders determine current availability and eligibility. Our editorial approach