Key takeaway
The main Cobb County program is the Housing Authority of Cobb County's My Home down payment assistance: a grant of 0%, 1% or 2% of your first mortgage that you don't repay, with no first-time buyer requirement. For a larger amount, Cobb buyers use the statewide Georgia Dream program, which lends up to $10,000 ($12,500 with PEN or Choice) at 0%, repaid when you sell, refinance or move out. Acworth's housing authority runs public housing, not down payment help, and the City of Atlanta programs don't apply here.
At a glance
| My Home grant | 0%, 1% or 2% of the first mortgage |
|---|---|
| My Home first-time rule | None |
| My Home income cap (program site) | $159,880 |
| Georgia Dream help in Cobb (2026) | Up to $10,000; $12,500 with PEN or Choice |
| Habitat service area | Cobb, Douglas and Paulding |
What's available to an Acworth buyer in Cobb County
Searches for Cobb County help turn up a mix of county, state, nonprofit and City of Atlanta programs. Only some of them work for a home in Acworth. This table sorts them.
| Program | Run by | What you get | Repaid? | Works in Acworth? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Home down payment assistance | Housing Authority of Cobb County | Grant of 0%, 1% or 2% of the first mortgage | No | Yes, Cobb County homes |
| Georgia Dream | Georgia DCA | Up to $10,000, or $12,500 with PEN or Choice | Yes, 0% loan due on sale, refinance or move-out | Yes, statewide |
| Habitat for Humanity homeownership | NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity | A Habitat home with sweat equity | Ask Habitat about its terms | Cobb, Douglas and Paulding applicants |
| Housing counseling | DCA- and HUD-approved agencies | Homebuyer education and one-on-one counseling | Class fee, $50 to $100 per DCA | Yes |
| Acworth Housing Authority | Managed by the Marietta Housing Authority | Public housing rentals | n/a | Not down payment help |
| Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing | City of Atlanta agencies | Down payment assistance | Varies | No, City of Atlanta only |
Cobb County My Home down payment assistance
The Housing Authority of Cobb County launched its My Home program in mid-2019. It pairs a 30-year fixed mortgage with tax-free down payment assistance through participating lenders. Cobb County's page links to the program site, georgiabuyerdpa.com, for the current terms. That site does not date its figures, so treat the numbers below as the latest published and confirm them with a lender.
How much you get
The assistance is a non-repayable grant of 0%, 1% or 2% of the first mortgage note amount, usable for down payment and closing costs. The percentage is tied to the loan, not the price, and the 0% option means some loans come with no grant at all, so ask which tier your loan falls in.
No first-time buyer requirement
Cobb's page states there is no first-time homebuyer requirement. That makes My Home one of the few options here for someone who has owned a home in the last three years, which would rule them out of Georgia Dream Standard outside targeted areas.
Income limit
The program site lists a household income cap of $159,880, and $90,800 for loans made through Freddie Mac's HFA Advantage product. An older figure of $149,240 also appears online, so ask a My Home lender which cap is current before you apply.
Loan limits
The program site lists a maximum loan of $688,850 for FHA and $806,500 for VA and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage loans. Most Acworth homes sit far below these limits: Zillow's typical value for Acworth was $406,860 in August 2026.
Credit score and debt-to-income
FHA and VA loans need a 660 minimum FICO score and Freddie Mac loans 640. The maximum debt-to-income ratio is 45% with a score of 640 to 679 and 50% at 680 or above. Note that 660 for FHA is higher than Georgia Dream's 640 minimum.
Eligible homes
New or existing homes of one to four units qualify, detached or attached, including condos and townhomes, though Freddie Mac loans are limited to one unit. Manufactured, mobile, recreational and seasonal homes are not eligible. The home must be your principal residence and you must move in within 60 days of closing. For what condo and townhome buyers should check, see townhomes and condos in Acworth.
Homebuyer education
Borrowers using Freddie Mac HFA Advantage must complete Freddie Mac's free CreditSmart Homebuyer Education course online. The homebuyer education course guide explains which courses count for which programs.
Extra grants for Cobb County and Marietta employees
Cobb County government employees with at least 12 months of service can receive an additional $10,000 grant. City of Marietta employees can receive $10,000, and Marietta public safety employees $15,000. These are tied to the employer, not the address: working for the City of Acworth does not qualify.
Worked example on Acworth's typical home
On an FHA purchase at Acworth's typical value of $406,860, a 3.5% down payment leaves a loan of $392,620 (96.5% of the price). A 2% grant is $392,620 x 0.02 = $7,852, and a 1% grant is $3,926. The 3.5% down payment itself is $14,240, so the 2% grant would cover a little over half of it. A qualifying Cobb County employee would add $10,000, which together with the 2% grant ($17,852) exceeds the down payment.
Georgia Dream: the statewide option for Cobb buyers
Georgia Dream, run by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, is the larger source of help for most first-time buyers in Cobb. Its down payment assistance is a 0% loan with no monthly payment, repaid when you sell, refinance or stop living in the home. The full rules, application steps and lender process are on the Georgia Dream program page.
Cobb limits for 2026
Cobb sits in DCA's Atlanta metro group. Under DCA's July 2026 brochure, Georgia Dream Standard allows a purchase price up to $625,000 and household income up to $137,555 for one or two people or $158,188 for three or more. Help is 5% of the price or $10,000, whichever is less, or 6% or $12,500 for PEN (protectors, educators, nurses) or Choice households. Higher-limit versions are compared on the Peach Plus, PEN and Choice page.
My Home or Georgia Dream
The two work differently. My Home is a grant you keep, but it is at most 2% of the loan ($7,852 in the example above) and needs a 660 score on FHA. Georgia Dream pays more at Acworth prices ($10,000 or $12,500) and accepts a 640 score, but you repay it when you sell or refinance, and it requires first-time buyer status outside targeted areas. Whether the two can be used on the same purchase was not confirmed by either program's published pages: ask a lender that participates in both.
Habitat for Humanity in Cobb County
NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity serves Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties. It is a homeownership program rather than down payment assistance: you buy a Habitat home after meeting its requirements.
Who qualifies
Applicants must be US citizens or permanent legal residents, have lived or worked in Cobb, Douglas or Paulding for at least one year, have lived independently for at least a year, and be first-time homebuyers. You also commit to 200 hours of sweat equity and complete Habitat's homeowner education.
Income range
Habitat uses 2026 HUD guidelines, which equal 50% to 80% of HUD's fiscal 2026 Atlanta-metro limits. Your household income has to fall inside the range for its size.
| Household size | Income range (2026) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $41,250 to $66,000 |
| 2 | $47,150 to $75,400 |
| 3 | $53,050 to $84,850 |
| 4 | $58,900 to $94,250 |
| 5 | $63,650 to $101,800 |
| 6 | $68,350 to $109,350 |
| 7 | $73,050 to $116,900 |
| 8 | $77,750 to $124,450 |
When applications open
As of October 6, 2026, Habitat had no date scheduled for its next application cycle and was collecting interest forms online. Its family services team is at familyservices@habitatnwma.org or (770) 432-7954 ext. 103.
Homebuyer counseling agencies serving Cobb
DCA-approved agencies
DCA's approved agency list, last updated April 8, 2025, shows these agencies serving Cobb County: Help the People (Decatur, 404-688-7766), MorningStar Urban Development (Decatur, 770-492-4037), Resources for Residents and Communities of Georgia (Atlanta, 404-525-4130, which also serves Paulding and Cherokee) and The Homeowners Employment Corporation (Conyers, 404-492-6554). DCA's online courses are available statewide. These are listed as DCA publishes them, not as recommendations; the list is more than a year old, so call ahead.
Programs that don't apply, or that you need to check
Invest Atlanta
Invest Atlanta's ATL HomeNOW assistance requires the home to be inside the incorporated city limits of Atlanta, and its other programs cover specific Atlanta districts. An Acworth home doesn't qualify.
Atlanta Housing
Atlanta Housing's down payment assistance requires the property to be within the City of Atlanta. It shows up in Cobb searches but doesn't apply in Acworth.
City of Acworth
No City of Acworth down payment program could be verified for this guide, and the city's website could not be checked, so treat this as unconfirmed. Contact the City of Acworth (4415 Center Street) and ask whether it runs or funds any homebuyer help.
Cobb HOME funds through nonprofits
Cobb County's CDBG Program Office passes federal HOME funds to nonprofit organizations, and HOME homebuyer activities can include down payment assistance. Individual buyers don't apply to the county for these funds, and the county's page doesn't name the current nonprofits. Call the CDBG Program Office (268 Lawrence Street, Suite 200, Marietta; 770-794-5437) and ask which groups hold homebuyer funds now and whether Acworth addresses qualify.
If you want help sorting which of these fits your budget, I can go through it with you. For every program in one place, including conventional 3% down loans, see Georgia first-time home buyer programs.
Common questions
Does Cobb County have down payment assistance?+
Yes. The Housing Authority of Cobb County runs My Home down payment assistance, a non-repayable grant of 0%, 1% or 2% of the first mortgage amount with no first-time buyer requirement. Its program site lists a $159,880 income cap and a 660 FICO minimum for FHA and VA loans. Cobb buyers can also use Georgia Dream, which lends up to $10,000 at 0%, repaid on sale or refinance.
How do you qualify for down payment assistance in Georgia?+
For Georgia Dream in 2026 you generally need no home owned in the past three years (waived in targeted areas), a 640 credit score, income and price under your county's limits ($137,555 or $158,188 income and $625,000 price in Cobb), liquid assets under $20,000 or 20% of the price, $1,000 of your own funds and homebuyer education. You apply through a DCA participating lender.
Is $50,000 enough for a down payment on a house in Acworth?+
On Acworth's typical value of $406,860 (Zillow, August 2026), $50,000 is about 12.3% of the price. That is more than the 3% conventional or 3.5% FHA minimum, but less than the $81,372 that 20% would take. Note that Georgia Dream limits liquid assets left after closing to $20,000 or 20% of the price, whichever is greater.
What does the Acworth Housing Authority do?+
It is a public housing agency, not a down payment program. Acworth's public housing at Hull Heights, 4173 Fred J. Kienel Drive, has 50 units managed by the Marietta Housing Authority, and the Marietta Housing Authority's page says the waiting list has been closed since August 7, 2016. Ask the Marietta Housing Authority for the current status.
How do you apply for Habitat for Humanity in Cobb County?+
NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity serves Cobb, Douglas and Paulding. As of October 6, 2026 it had no date set for its next application cycle and was taking interest forms online. Applicants must be first-time buyers, have lived or worked in those counties for a year, fall within the 2026 income range for their household size and commit to 200 sweat-equity hours.
Can I use Invest Atlanta or Atlanta Housing assistance in Acworth?+
No. Invest Atlanta's ATL HomeNOW requires the home to be within Atlanta's incorporated city limits, and Atlanta Housing's down payment assistance requires a property within the City of Atlanta. Acworth buyers in Cobb County can look at the Housing Authority of Cobb County's My Home grant and the statewide Georgia Dream program instead.
Sources
- Cobb County: Down Payment Assistance Mortgage Program
- GA Buyer DPA: Cobb County My Home DPA Program
- Georgia DCA: Georgia Dream program brochure (v. 2026-7-8)
- Georgia DCA: Georgia Dream Loan Program FAQs
- Georgia DCA: Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
- NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity: home page
- NW Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity: Become a Homeowner
- Marietta Housing Authority: Hull Heights
- Affordable Housing Online: Housing Authority of the City of Acworth
- Cobb County: CDBG Program Office, Grant Programs
- City of Marietta: Housing & Community Development FAQ
- Invest Atlanta: Homebuyer Programs & Downpayment Assistance
- Atlanta Housing: Down Payment Assistance
- Fannie Mae: HomeReady Mortgage
- Zillow Research: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), August 2026
Lawrence Jackson
I am a Realtor® with Atlanta Communities and part of Team Jackson Sells Atlanta. I specialize in Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta and Woodstock and serve all of Cobb County and metro Atlanta. You work directly with me at every step, from your first question to the closing table.
Realtor®, Atlanta Communities. General information, not legal, tax or lending advice.
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