Down-payment assistance
Check your state housing finance agency first — Georgia Dream, Tennessee Housing Development Agency, and South Carolina State Housing all run programs specifically for first-time buyers with income caps. Programs stack with FHA loans.
Black-owned lenders
OneUnited Bank originates mortgages nationally. Carver Federal Savings Bank (NY but services Southern borrowers), Industrial Bank (DC and Maryland), and the Black-owned credit union network all offer competitive rates without the appraisal bias documented in the white-bank market.
HBCU alumni programs
Howard University's Real Estate Alumni Network and the Spelman College Alumnae Association run buyer-education programs and lender match referrals. Tuskegee alumni get a discount through several Alabama brokerages.