Garden Grove first-time homebuyers can attend Aug. 11 workshop tied to up to $110,000 assistance

Garden Grove is offering a registration-required virtual Homebuyer 101 workshop on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, for prospective first-time buyers who may seek city down-payment or closing-cost assistance.

The workshop is offered with NeighborWorks Orange County, which the city identifies as a HUD-approved counseling agency. The city says Zoom links will be provided to registered attendees.

Assistance is a deferred loan

Eligible low-income households may qualify for a loan of up to $110,000, while eligible moderate-income households may qualify for up to $50,000, according to the City of Garden Grove’s program materials.

The assistance is described as a 30-year deferred loan with 0% interest. It may be used for a down payment, closing costs or both. The advertised amounts are maximums, not guaranteed awards, and applicants must still complete the city’s application and eligibility review.

Who may qualify

Applicants must meet program requirements that include buying a home located within Garden Grove and occupying it as their residence. The city also requires income qualification, a minimum 3% down payment and that applicants have not owned a home within the previous three years.

The city’s program page also lists a total housing-cost limit of 45% of household income and says the assistance cannot be used to purchase a home in the Density Bonus Program.

Workshop attendance is not approval

Completing the workshop is one requirement in the application process, not an approval decision. The city’s checklist requires an eight-hour HUD-approved homebuyer education certificate for applicants and co-borrowers listed on the title. The training must have been completed within the year before the First-Time Homebuyer Program application is submitted.

Attending the August 11 session may help a household obtain the required education certificate, but it does not automatically submit or complete the assistance application and does not guarantee funding.

The city says applicants may use other HUD-approved counseling agencies instead of NeighborWorks Orange County, as long as the education and documentation satisfy program requirements. The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s counselor directory lists NeighborWorks Orange County near Garden Grove as offering pre-purchase counseling and homebuyer education workshops.

Documents to prepare

The city’s checklist calls for a signed application, government-issued identification, six months of bank statements, three years of tax returns, three years of current W-2 forms and the most recent 30 consecutive days of pay stubs for applicable household members. Additional documents may be required depending on employment, retirement, business ownership, veterans’ status, child support, bankruptcy or other circumstances.

Prospective buyers should register for the virtual workshop in advance, review the city’s checklist and confirm that the home they plan to purchase is in Garden Grove. They should also verify their household income, down-payment capacity and documentation before applying.

The City of Garden Grove’s First-Time Home Buyer Program materials provide registration instructions, the application and program contacts.

Sources

• City of Garden Grove First-Time Home Buyer Program
• CFPB Find a Housing Counselor near ZIP code 92840