You've been told you'll never own a home.
Let's check that math.
Most people your age haven't been priced out — they've been psyched out. Between Minnesota's down payment programs, county grants, and loans that need way less than 20% down, the gap between renting and owning is smaller than your feed says it is. Ask the question everyone asks Zach:
Free to ask · No hard credit pull to talk · Fairway Home Mortgage
Zach · Loan Officer, Fairway Home Mortgage Three "facts" keeping you a renter
Somewhere between doom-scrolling and group-chat economics, a whole generation decided homeownership was cancelled. Here's what's actually true in Minnesota.
"You need 20% down."
actually…Conventional first-time buyer loans start at 3% down, FHA at 3.5% — and Minnesota Housing offers down payment and closing cost loans of up to $18,000 for eligible buyers, which can cover most or all of it. See how the programs stack →
"My credit isn't good enough."
actually…Many programs work from a 640 score, some loan types lower. And credit is a system you can learn — most score gains come from a handful of boring, repeatable moves. Get the playbook →
"Nobody my age can buy."
actually…First-time buyers close in Minnesota every single day using programs built for exactly this — including first-generation buyer funds for people whose parents never owned. The programs exist because the state wants you to own. Bust the rest of the myths →
Minnesota is genuinely trying to give you money
Down payment help isn't a loophole — it's policy. State, county, and city programs exist at every layer, and part of Zach's job is knowing which ones stack for your exact zip code and situation.
Minnesota Housing
Start Up first mortgages with below-market fixed rates, plus down payment and closing cost loans up to $18,000 — some deferred at 0% interest with no monthly payment. First-generation buyers may qualify for even more.
County programs
Hennepin, Dakota, Ramsey, and other metro counties run their own assistance — programs like Hennepin County's HRA fund have offered up to $30,000 for eligible first-time buyers. Funding cycles matter; timing is everything.
City grants
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Woodbury, Bloomington, and more offer their own layers — from $10,000 to $40,000 depending on the city and your income. Where you buy can change how much help you get.
Program figures last reviewed July 2026; amounts and availability change with funding cycles — always verify current terms.
From "lol someday" to keys, in four moves
Ask the question
Send Zach your situation — income, rent, rough credit picture. No documents, no hard pull, no commitment. You get a real payment range back, not a lecture.
Find your programs
Zach maps your income, location, and household to the state, county, and city programs you actually qualify for — and how they stack.
Get pre-approved
A pre-approval letter turns you from "browsing Zillow at 1am" into a buyer sellers take seriously. Here's exactly what you'll need.
Shop, offer, close
House hunt with your real budget, make offers with confidence, and follow the closing-day checklist straight to your keys.
A numbers guy who talks like a person
Zach Beaubien is a Loan Officer with Fairway Home Mortgage in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He started in accounting and audit — University of St. Thomas, then the Big Four — before deciding he'd rather use the spreadsheet skills to get people into houses. He built his whole brand around the one question every first-time buyer actually wants answered: what's my payment?
His specialty is buyers who assumed they weren't allowed in the room: first-timers, first-generation buyers, and anyone whose entire homebuying education came from a For You page.
Ready for your real number?
Two minutes. No pressure. Just a straight answer.