First-time home buyer programs in West Virginia and Charleston

West Virginia Housing Development Fund programs

WVHDF programs are delivered through partner lenders, so you apply through a lender. The agency also has loan originators who can prequalify you. The table summarizes what its pages say.

Source: WVHDF program pages and Single-Family Programs page, read October 13, 2026. The rate table on WVHDF’s page shows no date, so confirm the rate with a lender before you plan around it.

Four details matter:

• First-time rule. For counties that are not “targeted”, WVHDF says buyers must not have owned a principal residence in the three years before closing. Kanawha County is on the non-targeted list. WVHDF adds that former ownership is allowed with some Fund loans, so ask a loan officer.
• Credit. WVHDF gives no fixed minimum score. It says a score “in the low- to mid-600s can be acceptable”, but other factors also count.
• Down payment help is a loan. The LDHL is a second mortgage, not a grant. Per WVHDF, if you refinance, it must be paid off, and the Fund will not subordinate it.
• Movin’ Up and the LDHL do not mix. WVHDF states that the LDHL is not eligible with the Movin’ Up programs, as of September 30, 2026.

Income and price limits in Kanawha County

WVHDF publishes one table of limits by county. The version we read applies to loans locked on or after January 2, 2026.

Source: WVHDF, “Income and House Price Limits” PDF. Neither the sales contract price nor the first loan amount may exceed the price limit. Federal compliance income includes everyone on the note or the title.

The Homeownership income limit in the table is one figure per county, with no split by household size. WVHDF also publishes a separate 2026-2027 limits table for Movin’ Up Special (dated June 25, 2026), which we could not open; ask a WVHDF loan officer for it if your income is at or below 80% of the area median for your census tract.

WVHDF requires its borrowers to take homebuyer education, which it describes as free and offered through Fannie Mae. On the Movin’ Up page, WVHDF says education is required for conventional loans, while FHA, VA and USDA loans follow the rules of the insuring agency.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not an offer. A buyer purchases a $150,000 house in Kanawha County (close to the $151,800 county median in our home prices guide) with a Homeownership loan for the full price at the listed 5.790%, 30 years. The principal and interest payment is about $890 a month, before property tax, homeowners insurance and mortgage insurance. If the buyer also took the full $12,000 LDHL at 2% over 15 years, that second loan would add about $77 a month. WVHDF does not say how it combines the two on a 100% loan; its LDHL page states the assistance applies when the loan-to-value ratio is “at or above 80%”. Ask a loan officer for a Loan Estimate, the standard CFPB form that shows your actual costs.

Programs in Charleston

The City of Charleston’s Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development (MOECD) runs the HOME Blend program. The city’s page describes it as a forgivable loan paid directly to the applicant, which lowers the amount the buyer must borrow. A lender that takes part in the City of Charleston/Kanawha County Consortium provides the mortgage for a percentage of the selling price.

The city’s draft FY2026 Annual Action Plan (April 29, 2026), for the program year from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, lists a HOME First-Time Homeownership Program. Its stated use: down payment, closing costs and mortgage subsidies for qualified people and families in the City of Charleston and Kanawha County.

What we could not confirm. The city’s page we could read does not list income limits, loan amounts, forgiveness terms or application steps, and the city’s Housing Programs page refused our request. We give no figures for HOME Blend. Contact MOECD at 105 McFarland Street, Charleston, (304) 348-8035, moecd@cityofcharleston.org, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

How to apply

1. Complete homebuyer education.
2. Find a WVHDF partner lender with the Fund’s Find a Lender tool, or call WVHDF to prequalify: (800) 933-8511.
3. Confirm the county limits for the house you want. WVHDF’s main office is at 5710 MacCorkle Ave. SE in Charleston.
4. For HOME Blend, contact MOECD before you sign a contract.

See also our Charleston page, the West Virginia closing costs guide, the national guides on FHA loans, VA loans and private mortgage insurance, and the steps of buying a home.