Is there down payment assistance in Washington?

Yes — Washington has some of the better DPA programs in the country, and most buyers don't know they exist. The big ones: Washington State Housing Finance Commission's Home Advantage program offers a second mortgage of up to 5% of the loan amount for down payment and closing costs, with no payments due until you sell or refinance. House Key Opportunity is a similar program targeted at lower-income buyers with even better terms. Veterans Down Payment Assistance offers up to $10,000 for VA-eligible borrowers. There are also targeted programs for teachers, first responders, and buyers in specific cities (Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, and several others have local programs). Most of these stack on top of conventional, FHA, or VA first mortgages. The catches to know: most require a homebuyer education class (free, online, takes about 4 hours), most have income limits that vary by county, and most require you to occupy the home as your primary residence. I'll help you figure out which programs you qualify for and run the numbers to see whether using DPA actually saves you money long-term (sometimes it does, sometimes a slightly higher rate with no DPA wins — we'll do the math).