Helping you help your clients become homeowners
As the largest HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency and number-one provider of down payment assistance in the St. Louis metro area, you can count on Beyond Housing’s Homebuyer team to help make the dream of homeownership a reality for your clients. We work closely with lenders and realtors to help make the process as quick and stress-free as possible for homebuyers.
Beyond Housing is a non-profit community development organization that also has a dedicated financial counseling department to help residents become homeowners. Our clients and partners can count on us to provide the highest level of service either through our Housing Counseling Agency or Downpayment Assistance Program.
Why Partner with Beyond Housing?
If your borrowers have a funding gap, we can provide up to $10,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance to close the deal.
DOWN PAYMENT AND CLOSING COST ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE IN:
- St. Louis County
- Jefferson County
- St. Charles County
- City of O'Fallon
- City of Florissant
Downpayment and closing cost assistance is currently available in:
$7,000 | Jefferson County |
$8,000 | City of Florissant |
$7,000 | St. Louis County |
$10,000 | St. Charles County* |
$10,000 | City of O’Fallon |
Assistance provided is a zero percent interest and 5-year forgivable loan
These loans require no monthly payment
*Applicants are not required to be first-time homebuyers in St. Charles County, with the exception of the City of O’Fallon.
Beyond Housing does not have downpayment assistance funds for the City of St. Louis.
This page continues to be updated with current information on available funding.
Please Note: Borrowers approved for a Downpayment and Closing Cost Assistance loan must complete Beyond Housing’s Homebuyer Education course and participate in Beyond Housing’s Housing Counseling Program at least 10 days prior to closing.SLIDING SCALE INCOME REQUIREMENTS
The eligible amount of the DPA loan is based on a sliding scale income requirement as indicated in the chart below.
| Maximum household gross income based on persons in Family or Household | ||||||||
| DPA Eligible Amount | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 100% | $36,150 | $41,300 | $46,450 | $51,600 | $55,750 | $59,900 | $64,000 | $68,150 |
| 95% | $43,380 | $49,560 | $55,740 | $61,920 | $66,900 | $71,880 | $76,800 | $81,780 |
| 90% | $57,800 | $66,050 | $74,300 | $82,550 | $89,200 | $95,800 | $102,400 | $109,000 |
MAXIMUM SALES PRICE LIMITS
Existing Home Limit | New Construction Home Limit | |
St. Louis County (including City of Florissant) | $200,000 | $275,000 |
St. Charles County (including City of O’Fallon) | $242,000 | $320,000 |
Jefferson County | $196,000 | $275,000 |
Whether your client needs the Homebuyers Education course as a requirement for down payment assistance or just needs additional information on owning a home, we‘re here to help! Homebuyer Education courses are available online – at any time – or in-person.
Beyond Housing’s Homebuyer Education and Housing Counseling Program will teach your client to be a more informed borrower and better educated buyer, no matter where in the process they are. This program provides buyers with important information on household budgeting, upkeep, affordability, and the home purchase process.
Our weekly orientation sessions offer clients and their lenders and agents an overview of our services and instructions on how to enroll.
- Today more than one in three Americans has less than $500 saved for financial emergency or large, unexpected expense.
- More than four in ten Americans (45%) do not have the savings or resources to cover expenses beyond one month if they lost their primary source of income.
- Financial vulnerability can and does destabilize housing situations. In fact, nearly one in five adults (18%) has ever moved in with family, friends, and roommates as a direct result of financial challenges or concerns.
- 69% of Americans are interested in receiving information about the home buying process
- 49% of Americans need a lot or some guidance on saving to purchase a home.
- 44% of Americans need a lot of some guidance on reducing debt and managing repayment.
Get Started by joining our Free Virtual Orientation
Our weekly orientation sessions offer clients and their lenders and agents an overview of our services and instructions on how to enroll.
UPCOMING IN-PERSON CLASSES
The Homebuyer Education class is pre-recorded, so it can be taken at any time. The course takes about 4-6 hours to complete, and you can log in and out at your convenience. The course is available in English or Spanish. The fee is $125.00.
UPCOMING IN-PERSON CLASSES
For those who prefer a more personal setting. The in-person course takes about 8 hours, with a break for lunch (included in cost). The fee for classroom training, including lunch and all materials, is $125.00. Beyond Housing will provide the certificate upon completion of the class.
September 14 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Beyond Housing
6506 Wright Way, St. Louis, MO 63121
October 12 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Beyond Housing
6506 Wright Way, St. Louis, MO 63121
November 9 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Beyond Housing
6506 Wright Way, St. Louis, MO 63121
December 7 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Beyond Housing
6506 Wright Way, St. Louis, MO 63121
Our Homebuyer Education and Housing Counseling helps clients become mortgage ready borrowers, including establishing and rebuilding credit.
Our HUD Certified Housing Counselors are unbiased advocates for homebuyers – you can sleep well at night knowing your clients are getting the best advice possible.
Our HUD-Certified Housing Counselors can help your client every step of the way:
- Check for Down Payment Assistance
- Help you get mortgage ready
- Provide homebuyer information
- Assist with pre-approval
- Understand loan options
- Compare homeowners insurance
- Assist with closing documents
Our clients ask us for referrals to lenders, realtors, inspectors, and more – if we know about your amazing products and services and, we’ll be sure to pass those details along to our hundreds of clients per year.
For more information, to request an in person or online group presentation about how our homeownership program can help your clients, or to tell us about your products, please contact us.
Or fill out the form below.
Downloadable Files
PLEASE ASK THE CLOSER IF SHE/HE IS A CERTIFIED TITLE CLOSER WITH BEYOND HOUSING PRIOR TO ORDERING TITLE. PLEASE HAVE THE TITLE AGENT CONTACT US TO BECOME A CERTIFIED CLOSER.
A representative from Beyond Housing will attend each closing via phone to review our loan documents with the borrower/s. We will email all necessary documents to the title agent and wire the down payment assistance funds.
This is a second lien on property and a title policy is required.
To become a title partner with Beyond Housing the title company closer must have a certificate. In order to receive a certificate the title company closer must have attended training by our Beyond Housing staff. The certificate is per closer not title company. Not all title company locations can be approved to be a closing partner with Beyond Housing. The process of becoming a Title partner can take up to 30 days.
The certificate is good for (1) one year. Each year the title company closer will need to attend training to be renewed and receive an updated certificate.
Please call 314-376-5854 or email bhlending@beyondhousing.org to become a title partner.
Beyond Housing administers a Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance (DPA) loan program on behalf of 5 local jurisdictions: Counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, and Jefferson; Cities of O’Fallon and Florissant. The five jurisdictions’ DPA loan programs are similar but with a few differences. For example, each jurisdiction has different instructions for ordering its DPA loan required “First-Time Homebuyer Inspection”, which is an occupancy and visual lead inspection conducted by inspectors from the relevant county or city.
These loans are 0% interest, require NO monthly payments and are forgiven after five years. If at any time during the five-year term the Homebuyer decides to move, sell the property, or transfer title, a prorated loan amount must be repaid to the jurisdiction.
We work with all types of mortgage lenders! The DPA loan can be paired with any fixed rate first mortgage product – conventional, portfolio, FHA, VA, and USDA.
Funds are reserved upon receipt of a fully executed sales contract. Please forward sales contracts to bhlending@beyondhousing.org.
The DPA loan program is a second mortgage loan program that requires application and processing – please allow the underwriter 2-3 business days to review a complete application.
Beyond Housing’s Lending Department issues a commitment letter for down payment and closing cost funds after verifying required documents. Do not assume your borrower is qualified until you have received an approval letter. If the information changes or expires, a new approval letter will need to be issued.
The exact amount of funds received is reflected on the final Closing Disclosure. Recording fees and title service fees will be deducted from the total amount received. Please provide all Paid Outside of closing receipts to the title company agent.
We calculate income how HUD and the jurisdictions (counties and cities) mandate. It is likely a little different to how you calculate gross income. For example, we have to take into account ALL sources of household income, we do not gross up, and we calculate both 90 days average and YTD and use the higher of the two calculations.
There are no credit score requirements.
DTI ratios are 36/42.
Homebuyers obtaining the DPA loan must complete homebuyer education and one-on-one counseling at least 10 business days prior to closing.
Must be a first-time homebuyer a first-time homebuyer is defined as having not owned a home in the past three years or having lost a home due to divorce and have custody of children from the divorce. (*St. Charles County does NOT have this restriction, except for the City of O’Fallon).
Please direct any post-closing servicing requests, including requests for subordination or payoff statements, to the lien holder, St. Louis County’s Office of Community Development.
Property must not have been tenant occupied within the last 90 days.
Properties in flood zones are NOT ELIGIBLE for funding.
The home being purchased with DPA funds must pass the “First-Time Homebuyer” occupancy and visual lead inspection for the applicable DPA loan jurisdiction as well as other required inspections for the home purchase (ex. third party ASHI-certified inspector building inspection; municipal inspections (City of Overland, City of Arnold, City of University City, etc.))
