First-Time Home Buyer Representation

Buying your first home in the Seattle area brings a lot of new terms, timelines and decisions at once. Two questions come first: which programs you qualify for, and how to use them without weakening your offer.

Henos Adhana works as your buyer's agent. He explains each stage in plain language, connects you with lenders who make these loans, and keeps your interests first with sellers, lenders and inspectors.

The goal is a purchase you understand and feel good about, not a rushed one. You set the pace, and you decide what matters most in a home and a neighborhood.

What Henos does for a first-time buyer

From your first questions to the day you get the keys, Henos handles the moving parts. He sets up your search, arranges showings, reviews disclosures and works with your lender. When you find the right home, he structures the offer, explains each contingency, and keeps the inspection, appraisal and closing on schedule.

You also get straight answers about costs. The down payment, earnest money, inspection fee and closing costs are explained up front, so nothing on the closing statement is a surprise.

Who counts as a first-time buyer

You may count as a first-time buyer even if you owned a home before. As of October 2026, the City of Seattle program counts you as one if you have not owned a home in the last three years, and the state's Covenant program uses a similar rule. The state's Home Advantage down payment loan does not require you to be a first-time buyer at all.

We check your situation against these rules early, so you know which programs are open to you before you tour.

Sources: City of Seattle Office of Housing, buy a home, WSHFC down payment assistance programs

Down payment help, as of October 2026

Help with the down payment usually comes as a second loan on top of your main mortgage. You apply through a participating lender, not through an agent. Each program has its own income limit, location rules and class requirement.

WSHFC Home Advantage. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission's down payment loan is 3%, 4% or 5% of the first mortgage amount, at 0% interest, for households earning up to $215,000. You take a free homebuyer class first. There is no monthly payment. The loan is repaid when you sell, refinance or transfer the home, stop living in it as your main home, or pay off the mortgage.

City of Seattle. The Office of Housing helps households earning less than 80% of area median income buy inside Seattle city limits. The City can give up to $76,000 per household. Its partners list their own amounts: HomeSight up to $70,000, and Parkview Services up to $110,000 by layering more than one source. The home must be your main home, and you take an approved homebuyer class plus one-on-one counseling. Ask the partner and your lender which sources can be combined before you count on more than one.

WSHFC Covenant Homeownership. This program is for first-time buyers earning up to 120% of area median income, which is $197,300 in King County under limits effective June 8, 2026. The buyer, or the buyer's parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, must have lived in Washington before April 1968 and belong to a group the law names. It lists help of up to 20% of the home price, capped at $150,000, plus closing costs.

Limits change. A lender confirms the current numbers before you rely on them.

Sources: WSHFC down payment assistance programs, City of Seattle Office of Housing, buy a home, WSHFC Covenant Homeownership Program

Using a program without weakening your offer

Sellers look closely at how an offer is paid for. A program helps you only if the offer still gives the seller confidence. Henos gets your lender approval in place before you write and sets realistic dates for the class, appraisal and program approval. He presents the financing clearly, so an offer with assistance is read like any other.

Program limits also shape where you look. A budget that buys a house in a north-end suburb may point to a condo or townhome closer in, and the City program only works inside Seattle city limits. Knowing that early keeps your search on homes that qualify.

Worth reading first

Written for exactly this question:

• Assumable mortgages: when taking over the seller's rate actually works
• How to buy a house without a realtor in Seattle
• Buying a condo in Seattle: read the building before you buy the unit
• Closing costs in Washington: who pays what, and how much it comes to
• Do you need a realtor to buy a house in Seattle?
• How much down payment do you actually need in Seattle?
• Earnest money in Washington: how much, where it goes, and when you lose it
• FHA-approved condos in Seattle: how to check a building before you offer
• Buying a Seattle house with foundation issues
• What to look for when touring a house in Seattle: a printable checklist
• Seattle mortgage payment calculator, with taxes and insurance
• Orangeburg pipe: what to do when the scope finds it
• Pre-qualified, pre-approved or fully underwritten: which one a Seattle offer needs
• Side sewers in Seattle: the card, the scope, and who pays
• Seller credits in Washington: what they pay for, how much, and when to ask
• Townhouse vs condo in Seattle: what you actually own
• Who pays the buyer's agent in Washington?
• Why is this house cheaper than everything around it?

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