Layton City is currently offering substantial home down payment assistance to low-to-moderate-income homebuyers. The city’s “At Home in Layton” program provides a sizeable $10,000 grant to assist with the required down payment, closing costs, or principal reduction.
The City administers federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that cover July 1 through June 30. The past 2021-2022 CDBG program year included eight Layton City households with assisted down payments. At Home in Layton grants are secured by a Promissory Note and Trust Deed. If the house is sold before the end of the fifth year from the closing date, at least a portion of the funds would need to be repaid to the City.
Mortgage rates in Utah currently average just over 7% for a 30-year fixed mortgage. With the upsurge in interest rates and prices, over 70% of Utah’s households are currently priced out of a median-priced home. Some house-seekers are faced with the tough choice of spending ever-larger shares of their pay on housing costs. This widening chasm between the cost of available housing and what homebuyers actually pay is an underlying driver behind Utah’s current housing challenge.
Grant monies set aside for down payment assistance are made possible by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The program allows for funding to be disbursed within qualified communities across the country, including Layton.
To apply for home down payment assistance, contact Morgan Cloward, Layton City CDBG & Economic Development Specialist, mcloward@laytoncity.org, 801-336-3770.