Who writes this, and what we leave out on purpose
Program and regulatory figures verified October 5, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
A short page about method, because Louisiana just renamed every programme in the state and method is the only thing that keeps a page like this correct.
Where the numbers come from
| Source | Date | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| LHC Single Family Lenders' Guide | published 09/10/26 | All four programmes, the authoritative spec |
| LHC HomeStart programme pages | read 2026-10-05 | Consumer terms, the rename notices |
| LHC Exhibit N1, purchase price limits | eff. May 4, 2026 | $554,850 / $678,150 |
| HomeStart Plus eligible parishes | read 2026-10-05 | The 47 parishes |
| CAFA homebuyers page | read 2026-10-05 | CAFA programmes |
| JPFA Comfort of Home | read 2026-10-05 | JPFA terms |
FHFA supplies conforming loan limits and Zillow's public research data supplies market values.
★ Where LHC's own documents disagree
Twice, and in both cases we show you both rather than picking one:
- Homebuyer education on HomeStart Advantage. The Lenders' Guide says "at least 1 occupying borrower"; the programme page says "all occupying borrowers." Both are current. Plan for the stricter reading.
- Targeted-area price increases. The guide says "generally increased by 20%"; the published exhibit is about 22% apart. We give you the two published figures and no multiplier. The limits.
Picking one silently would read as more authoritative and serve you worse. A borrower who plans around the looser reading and is held to the stricter one finds out a week before closing.
★ What we left off, and why
The parish income tables. LHC's HomeStart Assist and HomeStart Plus income-limit PDFs, linked from its own programme pages, returned 404 when we checked on 2026-10-05. We could have reproduced figures from a secondary site or from LHC's legacy MRB exhibits; we did not. You are measured against the current published limit, and a stale figure is worse than an honest gap. The rules we could verify.
Rates. None anywhere, including the bond rate CAFA publishes on its homebuyers page. Rates move; a published figure misleads within weeks.
Agency manufactured-housing standards. We state LHC's layer — 660, 45%, not on Ready — and send you to your lender for the FHA, VA, USDA or GSE property tests rather than describing documents we have not read.
JPFA's Heroes to Homeowners and Welcome to Jefferson terms. Named, because they exist and they stack. Not described, because we have not verified them.
A worked recapture calculation. That is a tax question. We are lenders.
Funding levels and urgency. We describe structure and never attach a countdown or a scarcity hook.
Why every figure carries a date
Louisiana is the best argument for this habit we have seen. On 09/09/2026 every LHC programme changed its name, and one of them dropped its central eligibility requirement. A guide written in August 2026 — competent, accurate, well-sourced — is wrong in four places today.
So the test we apply is not "is this from a good source" but "is this from a good source, and when." We have shipped a stale figure before by weighing authority over date. What changed, with the evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs this Louisiana down payment assistance site?
Mike Certo, Branch Manager at Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #260555, company NMLS #173855. The site covers Louisiana statewide across all 64 parishes.Where do the LHC figures on this site come from?
The Louisiana Housing Corporation Single Family Lenders' Guide published 09/10/26, the HomeStart programme pages read 2026-10-05, LHC Exhibit N1 purchase price limits effective May 4, 2026, and the HomeStart Plus eligible parish list. CAFA and JPFA terms come from their own pages, read 2026-10-05.Why are there no parish income limits on this site?
Because LHC's own income limit PDFs for HomeStart Assist and HomeStart Plus returned errors when checked on 2026-10-05. Rather than reproduce figures from a secondary source or a legacy exhibit, the site publishes the verified percentage-of-AMI rules and directs readers to the operator for their parish's current figure.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. Louisiana Housing Corporation programme terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by LHC and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against LHC's published documents. LHC assistance is a zero-interest forgivable second mortgage, forgiven only if occupancy and programme requirements are maintained. Federal recapture tax may apply on HomeStart Assist bond loans; consult a tax advisor. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.