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Why partner with us

Down payment is the single most common reason your qualified buyers don't close. We make it easy to offer DPA as part of your loan package without restructuring how you operate.

01

Close more loans

Borrowers who can afford the monthly payment but can't reach the down payment become buyers instead of permanent renters. Your conversion improves; theirs does too.

02

No cost to your shop

No enrollment fee, no per-loan fee, no membership cost. The silent second is a separate loan funded by our capital partners, not by you.

03

Standard structure

The silent second sits cleanly behind FHA, conventional, and most VA / USDA first mortgages. Disclosure follows standard subordinate-lien practice. Most LOs pick it up in one call.

How enrollment works

Four steps from first conversation to originating with DPA in the package.

01

Reach out

Drop us a note via the contact form or email. Tell us about your shop: markets you serve, product mix, monthly origination volume, and what brought you here. We respond within 1, 2 business days.

02

30-minute intro call

We walk through the silent-second structure, coordination workflow, disclosure requirements, and the simple onboarding paperwork. Bring your questions; this is where most of them get answered.

03

Onboarding paperwork

Short memorandum of understanding, basic KYC and compliance check, contact assignments on both sides. We share underwriting criteria, submission templates, and a sample borrower flow. Typically wraps within a week.

04

Originate & coordinate

Your team works the first mortgage as usual. When a borrower needs DPA, you submit to us in parallel. We underwrite the silent second independently, issue a decision, and wire funds directly to escrow at closing. Quarterly reporting flows back to your team.

What we ask. What we don't.

Clear expectations on both sides, up front.

What we ask

  • Compatible first-mortgage products (FHA, conventional; VA / USDA case-by-case)
  • Transparent coordination with our DPA underwriting team
  • Disclosure of the silent second in your loan documents per standard subordinate-lien practice
  • Fair lending and HMDA compliance, as always
  • Timely communication if a deal moves, restructures, or falls out

What we don't ask

  • No exclusivity, keep all your existing DPA relationships
  • No enrollment fee, no per-loan fee, no membership cost
  • No transfer of underwriting authority, you underwrite the first mortgage, we underwrite the DPA, end of story
  • No borrower steering, your borrowers, your call on whether to pair with DPA
  • No production minimums, bring us deals when they fit

Lender FAQ

The questions most loan officers ask in the first call.

Nothing. There is no enrollment fee, no per-loan fee, and no membership cost. Capital for the silent second comes from our mission-aligned capital partners, not from you. Your shop covers its own ordinary cost of originating the first mortgage; that doesn't change.
For our Dream Simple program: a $500 Program Administration Fee, charged only at successful funding and payable directly to Dream Home Fund. The fee covers eligibility review, subordinate loan administration, compliance, funding authorization, second lien administration, document preparation, closing coordination, funding disbursement, and file completion and boarding. It is itemized on the borrower's Closing Disclosure as a third-party fee payable to Dream Home Fund. No application fee, no pre-approval fee, and nothing collected if the transaction does not close.
No. Keep every DPA partner you currently work with. We expect to be one of several tools your team can reach for.
FHA and conventional first mortgages are the cleanest fit. VA and USDA work in some scenarios but have specific restrictions on subordinate financing, we review case-by-case. If you have a specific loan type you want us to evaluate, send it our way.
For Dream Simple: DPA sized to 3.5% of the purchase price, capped at $45,000 per borrower, structured as a silent second mortgage. No monthly payments. Simple interest accrues at the first mortgage note rate plus 1%. For Dream Simple: full balance (principal plus accrued interest) due at sale, refinance, or transfer of the property. No prepayment penalty.
Dream Home Fund. We underwrite the silent second independently, on our side, in parallel with your first-mortgage underwriting. Your team does not absorb any new underwriting workflow.
The borrower's combined LTV and total monthly obligation are factored as they would be with any subordinate financing. Because there are no monthly payments on the silent second, debt-to-income impact is minimal. Most lenders find the silent second a net positive on the borrower's ability-to-pay profile.
Income guidelines vary by program and by the capital partner funding a given DPA pool. There is no single fixed AMI cap. When you submit a borrower's file, we will tell you whether it fits the active programs. In practice, we are flexible across a range of incomes.
We are honest about this: Dream Home Fund's HUD-Approved Nonprofit Roster approval is in progress, not yet granted. We are accepting lender enrollment inquiries now and onboarding partners ahead of approval. DPA originations begin once HUD approval is in effect and funds are ready to deploy. We will notify enrolled partners the moment that happens.
We aim to issue a DPA decision within 5 to 7 business days of receiving a complete file. From there, coordination with escrow tracks your closing timeline; DPA funds are wired directly to escrow on closing day.
Sometimes. Layering with state HFA or other DPA programs depends on each program's specific guidelines. Send the situation our way and we will review compatibility before you commit to a structure.

Program Documents

Operational documents for enrolled lenders and lenders evaluating enrollment.

Lender Program Manual

  • Lender contractual requirements and qualification standards
  • Loan submission process and review timelines
  • Closing requirements, loan documents, loss-payee clause
  • Post-closing servicing, payoff, and reconveyance procedures
  • Defect cure, repurchase, audit, term and termination

Read the Lender Program Manual →

Program Handbooks

  • Per-program eligibility, underwriting, and fee details
  • Dream Simple is available upon HUD-Approved Nonprofit Roster approval

Program Matrix →

Dream Simple Handbook →

Forms and Templates

  • Lender Enrollment Application
  • Annual Recertification

View forms and templates →

Ready to get enrolled?

Tell us about your shop and we'll set up an intro call. There's no commitment in reaching out, and onboarding moves fast once we connect.

Start enrollment See the borrower side

Lender enrollment is offered at Dream Home Fund's discretion and is subject to review, KYC and compliance checks, and execution of a memorandum of understanding. Nothing on this page constitutes an offer to enroll, a commitment to fund, or a guarantee of any specific outcome. Dream Home Fund is not a mortgage lender; the silent second is a junior-lien down payment assistance product. All DPA approval decisions are made independently by Dream Home Fund. Dream Home Fund's HUD-Approved Nonprofit Roster approval is in progress; originations begin once approval is in effect. Equal Housing Opportunity.