Maryland Mortgage Program 1st Time Advantage Direct

At a glance

Amount

No state assistance. MMP's lowest first-time buyer rate, and you can bring outside help

Type of help

Reduced-rate mortgage

Where

Statewide, Maryland

Run by

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Community Development Administration (Maryland Mortgage Program)

First-time buyer

First-time buyers, with exceptions

Income limit

Yes, see below

Price limit

Yes, see below

Minimum credit score

640

Homebuyer education

Required

How the reduced-rate mortgage works

A first mortgage at a below-market rate, sometimes bundled with assistance.

• Interest: Lowest rate on the daily MMP rate sheet
• Monthly payment: Yes

Who qualifies

• First-time buyers, with exceptions. First-time means no ownership interest in a principal residence in the last 3 years. MMP waives this if you buy in a Targeted Area and sell your current home before closing, or you are an honorably discharged veteran using the one-time exemption.
• Income. The standard MMP county income table applies (effective 2026-06-24), by household size. See the full 24-jurisdiction table on the MMP 1st Time Advantage 6000 page. Examples: $140,759 for 1 to 2 people and $161,873 for 3 or more in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties; $199,320 and $232,540 in Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles.
• Price. Standard MMP maximum acquisition cost by county (effective 2026-06-24), for example $782,118 in the Baltimore metro counties and $1,306,974 in Montgomery and Prince George's. The first mortgage cannot exceed $832,750.
• Property types: Single-family detached, Townhouse, Condo, Modular home. Must be your primary residence.
• Principal residence only. Liquid assets over 20% of the purchase price trigger an asset test.
• Available with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional first mortgages.
• Partner Match is not available with Direct. Outside assistance can still be layered if the lender and insurer allow it.

Income limits below are the shared table published for MMP 1st Time Advantage 6000, which this program uses too.

How to apply

1. 1Choose a lender from the MMP approved lender directory and ask specifically for 1st Time Advantage Direct.
2. 2Finish an approved homebuyer education course within 12 months before settlement. If you are also using a county, city or employer program, meet their education rule too.
3. 3Line up any outside assistance you plan to use so the lender can document it in the file.
4. 4Once your contract is ratified, the lender reserves the loan and locks the rate.

Watch out for

• No state assistance is attached. If you need help with cash to close and have no outside source, compare the 6000 or 3% to 5% options instead.
• The rate advantage over the assistance products is real but changes daily. Ask your lender to price Direct against the 6000 product on the same day.
• First-time buyer, income and price rules still apply even though there is no second loan.

Straight answers

Sources

• MMP 1st Time Advantage product page (read Sep 22, 2026)
• MMP fact sheet: 1st Time Advantage Direct (updated 2020-05-13) (read Sep 22, 2026)
• MMP Directive 2026-04: 2026 Income and Purchase Price Limits (read Sep 22, 2026)
• MMP fact sheet: Standard 30-Year Purchase Loans (read Sep 22, 2026)

Program details are summarized from public sources and change without notice. Funding badges reflect the last time we checked, not a guarantee of availability. This is buyer education from a real estate agent, not a loan pre-approval or a commitment to lend. Eligibility is decided by each program administrator and your lender. Equal Housing Opportunity.