California Dream For All is one of the genuinely good down payment assistance programs out there, if you can actually get the funding. The structure: it's a CalHFA shared-appreciation program where the state provides a large chunk of your down payment as a silent second (in prior rounds, up to a set percentage of the purchase price, subject to a dollar cap). You make no monthly payment on it. When you sell or refinance, you repay the original amount plus a share of the home's appreciation, roughly proportional to what the state put in. If you're eligible and funded, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better deal. Access is the catch. Funding is limited and runs out fast, so CalHFA uses a voucher lottery: - Get pre-approved with a CalHFA-approved lender. - Submit for vetting against the eligibility rules (first-time and first-generation buyer status, California residency, and more). - Hope your number comes up. In past rounds only a small share of applicants received a voucher, and winners get a set window to find a home and get under contract. Because much of the early funding went to buyers who arguably could have purchased without help, the program keeps getting reworked, with income limits and terms shifting between rounds. Treat any specific figure, cap, or income limit as changeable and confirm the current guidelines directly with CalHFA before you count on it. If you want a pre-approval lined up so you're ready when a voucher round opens, we can sort that out on the free Roadmap conversation.