Saving a down payment is the wall most first-time buyers hit, and it is the problem the Pima Tucson Homebuyer’s Solution was set up to solve. The program is run by the Industrial Development Authority of Pima County together with the City of Tucson, and it is one of the down-payment programs we mention in our first-time buyer’s guide. Here is how it works, in the program’s own terms as of September 22, 2026.
What the program is
According to the Pima IDA, the Industrial Development Authority of the County of Pima and the City of Tucson “have joined together to provide a Mortgage Loan Program to qualifying homebuyers purchasing homes in Pima County.” The borrower gets a 30-year, fixed-rate, fully amortizing first mortgage together with down-payment and closing-cost assistance in the form of a forgivable second mortgage. On a VA loan, the assistance is a grant instead.
Two versions: PTHS and PTHS Advantage
The Pima IDA describes two forms of the second loan: a three-year forgivable loan or a thirty-year forgivable loan, depending on which program is chosen. The Housing Innovation Hub’s program page describes PTHS Advantage as “up to 4% downpayment assistance in the form of a 30-yr forgivable second lien.” CIC Tucson, which handles program questions, states that homebuyers receive between 2% and 5% in assistance. The Pima IDA adds that the assistance can cover up to 100% of the borrower’s cash to close — down payment, closing costs and prepaid items — and that no minimum investment from the borrower’s own funds is required.
Who qualifies
- Household income at or below $146,503 (the maximum CIC Tucson and the Housing Innovation Hub list)
- Minimum credit score of 640 for every borrower
- Maximum debt-to-income ratio of 45%
- The home must be your primary residence, occupied within 60 days of closing
- Any home in Pima County, including the City of Tucson
- No first-time-buyer requirement and no purchase price limit, though each loan type’s own maximum loan amount still applies
- Every borrower on the note must complete a homebuyer education course
The program works with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) loans. The Housing Innovation Hub lists new and existing homes, condos and townhomes, two-to-four-unit properties and manufactured homes as eligible property types.
The trade-off: rate for assistance
Down-payment help is not free money in the sense of costing nothing. The Housing Innovation Hub explains that the program’s market interest rates are announced daily and “increase slightly as the request for downpayment assistance increases,” and that a buyer may waive the assistance to get the lowest available rate. That makes the real question a comparison: the cash the assistance saves you at closing against the higher monthly payment over the years you expect to keep the loan. A participating lender can price both side by side.
Down-payment assistance is a trade, not a gift: you save cash today and usually pay a little more each month. Have the lender show you both versions of the loan before you choose.
How to apply
You do not apply to the county directly. The program is delivered through participating lenders — the Pima IDA publishes the list, most recently dated March 31, 2026 — so the first step is to get pre-approved with one of them and ask for PTHS pricing alongside a standard loan. Program questions go to CIC Tucson at PTHS@cictucson.org or 520-529-1766 ext. 205, per the Pima IDA’s page.
- Pick a lender from the Pima IDA’s participating lender list
- Ask for a quote with and without the assistance
- Complete the required homebuyer education course
- Shop for a home with the pre-approval in hand
- Close and occupy the home within 60 days
Where it fits in a Tucson purchase
Because there is no purchase price cap, the program is usable anywhere in Pima County at any price the loan type allows. Its income ceiling is what limits it, not the price of the home. For the full sequence of buying a first home here — budgeting, pre-approval, choosing an area, inspection — see our first-time home buyer’s guide to Tucson, and for what homes cost area by area, our Tucson market reports.
Think you might qualify? Tell us roughly what you are looking for and we will introduce you to lenders on the participating list, so you can see what the assistance would mean for your monthly payment before you start touring.
