It can be pretty hard to buy your first home without having some real problems. The good news is that there are a number of first time home buyers grants and other resources out there that will help you get the house of your dreams. Here's what you need to know about home buying programs that can help you. The right one could help you buy the house you've been waiting for.

There are grants available nearly everywhere, and all of them are a little bit different. Nearly all home buyers grants are for people who've never owned a home before, and are intended to help you make a down payment on your new house, plus cover closing costs. They won't pay for the whole house, and they can't help people with poor credit get a loan if they couldn't before. You might be able to get this kind of grant if you owned a home a long time ago, but don't anymore.

All grants are a little different, but the majority of them require you to live in the home you're buying. You can't use this kind of grant to buy an investment property, for instance - you need to be using your new house as your primary residence. You'll probably also have to live in the house for a certain amount of time before you can sell again, or pay a fine or the entirely of the grant back to the issuer. That way, investors can't use money meant to help first time buyers to boost their profit funds

Remember not to mistake home buyer grants for subsidized homebuyer loans. Grants are usually money that you can keep, while loans may be at a favorable rate but have to be repaid at some point. Be sure to check the contract details on any grant or loan you're thinking about applying for, to prevent you from running into real financial trouble later.

In order to be eligible for these types of loans, your income will need to be below a certain level, which varies by area, family size, and house. A grant might be made to encourage people to move to a certain neighborhood, and will require you to buy your house there. These kinds of grants keep people from leaving older neighborhoods for more popular ones, and help you get your dream home.