OHFA Gold & Dream
3.5% of the loan amount toward down payment and closing costs. Gold is for first-time buyers unless you buy in a targeted area; Dream drops the first-time rule. Confirm the current repayment terms with OHFA before you rely on them.
Cornerstone First Mortgage · Mike Certo NMLS #260555
Oklahoma home loans, from OHFA and REI down payment help to Oklahoma City and Tulsa lending.
Oklahoma-licensed lending from the OKC and Tulsa metros out to the rural counties. Straight answers on Oklahoma's two main down payment routes, OHFA and REI, including which REI option is a true grant and how the OHFA terms actually read, plus zero-down USDA across rural Oklahoma and the seller-paid documentary stamp tax. A Cornerstone branch manager who works the file himself instead of handing it to a call center.
The Oklahoma programs Mike runs
Two state down payment programs anchor the first-time and assistance side, OHFA and REI. Around them sit the standard loan types and a few niche paths. Here is the menu.
REI Gift100
Up to 5% of the loan amount, and you pick the structure: a true Gift Funds grant with no lien, a second forgiven after seven years, or one repaid over ten years. Statewide, no first-time requirement.
FHA, VA & USDA
FHA from 3.5% down, VA at zero down for Oklahoma veterans near Fort Sill and Tinker AFB, and USDA at zero down across rural Oklahoma. OHFA and REI help can layer on these.
Conventional & jumbo
Conventional from 3% down, and jumbo above the $832,750 conforming limit that applies in every Oklahoma county. No high-cost county exception statewide.
Self-employed
Bank-statement and 1099 loans for Oklahoma business owners whose tax returns understate their real income, qualified on deposits rather than the net after write-offs.
Investor & bridge
DSCR loans for rentals, including ratios below 1.0, and bridge financing so you can buy the next home before selling the current one.
The 2026 Oklahoma Home Loan Guide
Every Oklahoma loan type compared by credit and down payment. Free.
Every Oklahoma loan type compared by credit and down payment. Free.
Why work with Mike
Most Oklahoma buyers who search for down payment help land on a national aggregator that sells the lead three times before anyone calls back. That is not us. Mike Certo is a branch manager with Cornerstone First Mortgage who works Oklahoma files himself, and he will tell you straight which path fits: REI's Gift Funds when you want a true no-repayment gift, an OHFA loan when its terms and price caps line up with your county, a plain FHA or conventional when the assistance adds nothing. He closes these across metro Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman, and the rural counties, and he knows the parts that trip Oklahoma buyers up, the honest read on how OHFA assistance is repaid, the seller-paid documentary stamp, and where USDA still reaches in the countryside.
Complex files are the specialty
Self-employed income, jumbo with student debt, DSCR investor loans below a 1.0 ratio, buy-before-you-sell bridge financing, doctors still in residency. These are the files that stall at a call-center lender and close with Mike. If your situation has a wrinkle, that is the reason to call, not a reason to wait.
Oklahoma home-loan FAQ
What is the difference between OHFA and REI down payment help in Oklahoma?
Both are statewide, and both help with the down payment, but they come from different agencies. OHFA is the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, and its assistance is 3.5% of the loan amount on an OHFA Gold or Dream loan. REI is Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, and its Gift100 program lets you pick from a true gift, a forgivable second, or a repayable second, up to 5%. Mike compares both on your actual numbers.
Is OHFA down payment assistance a grant you never repay?
Not clearly, and this is where a lot of websites get it wrong. OHFA's own pages do not label the 3.5% as a grant, a forgivable loan, or a repayable second, and outside sources disagree. Rather than guess, Mike confirms the current OHFA repayment terms with OHFA or an approved lender before you count on them. If a true no-repayment gift is what you want, REI's Gift Funds option is the clearer path.
Which Oklahoma down payment program is a true grant?
REI's Gift Funds option is the clearest true grant. It gives up to 5% of the loan amount with no second lien recorded and nothing to pay back, on FHA, USDA, VA, or HUD-184 loans. REI's other two options are different: a second mortgage forgiven after seven years, or one repaid over ten years. So REI is only a grant on the Gift Funds track. Name the option before you call it free money.
Who pays the transfer tax in Oklahoma?
The seller. Oklahoma charges a documentary stamp tax of $0.75 per $500 of price, which works out to $1.50 per $1,000, or 0.15%, and state law puts it on the seller as the grantor. On a $261,681 home that is about $393. For a buyer, the documentary stamp is not part of your cash to close, though you will still see flat county recording fees.
Is much of Oklahoma eligible for a zero-down USDA loan?
Yes. Outside the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro cores, much of Oklahoma qualifies, including small towns and farm country. USDA asks for no down payment. Eligibility is address-specific and income-capped, roughly $112,450 to $119,850 for a one-to-four-person household as a 2026 range, so confirm your exact address and the current county limit at USDA's eligibility tool.