How Do I Qualify for HOME Rochester?
HOME Rochester is a program that serves income-qualified, first-time homebuyers in the City of Rochester.

ALL BUYERS MUST:

  • Meet income requirements (see table below).
  • Be first-time homebuyers.
  • Get qualified through the City of Rochester.
  • Complete Pre and Post-purchase counseling.
  • Utilize a participating bank and qualify for a conventional, fixed-rate mortgage. Please see ‘Partners’ for a list of participating banks.
  • Contribute $1,500 to the equity of the home by closing.
  • Be able to maintain residency for 15 years.

Income and Household size requirements

Homes in the HOME Rochester program are sold mainly to families with income below 80% Area Median Income (AMI), but occasionally go up to 120% AMI. Please see the chart below to determine your AMI.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2020

HUD Regulations, Median Family Income (MFI) Income Limits
Rochester, NY MSA- MFI $76,400/family of 4

For each person in excess of eight, the four-person income limit should be multiplied by an additional eight percent (.08).

Sources:
1. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2020/2020summary.odn for 30, 50, 80, 100% MFI
2. https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/HOME_IncomeLmts_State_NY_2020.pdf for HOME 60% eligible activities by June 2020
3. City of Rochester for MFIs of 65%, 90%, 115% and 120% MFI

Effective Dates: 
April 1, 2020 for all non-HOME funded HUD activities and 30,50,80,100% MFI
June 18, 2020 for HOME 60% funded HUD activities until new numbers released

Home Rochester Application

All buyers must be qualified through the City of Rochester’s Home Buyer Services team. In order to qualify, please complete the application and submit to homebuyer@cityofrochester.gov.

Once qualified, buyers can request to be put on a waiting list for upcoming HOME Rochester homes or write a purchase offer on a home of interest.