There is more help to buy here than you think

Clayton County has down-payment help, veteran loan options, and county tax breaks that stack together. I am Johnnie Benton Sr., a Navy veteran who has lived here since 1989, and I will show you which ones actually fit you.

Talk with Johnnie

See the programs

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Answers first

Find out which programs actually apply to you

Nine questions, about two minutes, and the answer shows up on this page. Which Georgia Dream tier to ask about, whether the Clayton County money is in play for you, and which programs you can stop researching entirely.

Start the quiz

No email, no callback. The answer is on the screen when you finish.

Where you fit

Who this is for

Pick the path that matches your situation. Each one explains what comes next in plain English.

First-time buyers

Your first home, with the programs that bring the up-front cost down.

See your path

Veterans

The loan and tax benefits you earned, explained by a fellow Navy vet.

See your path

55 and up, downsizing

Sell the big house and buy right, with options built for 62 and over.

See your path

Renovators

Buy a place that needs work and fix it with a single loan.

See your path

The programs, by goal

What are you trying to do?

Every program links to a plain-English page on how it works and who qualifies. Numbers are illustrative. I am a licensed REALTOR® with Epique Realty, not a lender, so I point you to a participating lender to confirm the figures for your file.

Help with the down payment

8 programs

Georgia Dream

A deferred second mortgage, not a grant.

See how it works

Clayton County DPA

Forgivable local help for Clayton buyers.

See how it works

Conventional 97

3% down, with PMI you can cancel later.

See how it works

FHA loan (203b)

The most common first mortgage here.

See how it works

PEN

Down payment help for protectors, educators, and nurses.

See how it works

CHOICE

Down payment help for buyers with disabilities or disabled household members.

See how it works

National Faith HomeBuyers

Faith-based, HUD-approved 501(c)(3) help for eligible homebuyers.

See how it works

ANDP

Nonprofit homebuyer support from Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership.

See how it works

If you served

3 programs

VA home loan

The strongest loan most eligible buyers can use.

See how it works

Peach Select VA

A reduced-rate VA loan from the state.

See how it works

Disabled veteran homestead

A large yearly tax break for qualifying vets.

See how it works

Tax breaks that lower your yearly cost

3 programs

Mortgage Credit Certificate

A tax credit that follows you for years.

See how it works

Clayton senior homestead

A doubled exemption for owners 65 and up.

See how it works

Disabled veteran homestead

A large yearly tax break for qualifying vets.

See how it works

Buy and fix, or buy at 62 and up

2 programs

FHA 203(k) renovation

Buy the home and the repairs in one loan.

See how it works

HECM for Purchase

Buy your next home with no monthly mortgage payment.

See how it works

A residential street in Riverdale, Georgia

Stack the down-payment help

Stacked right, the help can reach about $22,500

Georgia Dream and the Clayton County program are built to work together for buyers who qualify. Layered in the right order, the help toward your down payment and closing can land near $22,500. I will show you the order they go in and where the limits sit. Figures are illustrative; a participating lender confirms your numbers. The Clayton County half of that stack has its own income ceiling, and it is lower than the Georgia Dream one. You need to be at or below 80 percent of the area median income, which HUD sets by household size. Plenty of Riverdale buyers land under it. Some do not. That is a five minute conversation with a participating lender, and it is worth having before you fall in love with a house.

See how it works

For those who served

A VA loan, zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance

If you are eligible, the VA loan is the strongest option most veterans can use. No down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance, and a funding fee some veterans do not pay at all. I served six years in the Navy and another twelve as a DoD civilian, so this is the program I walk people through most often.

See how it works

Buy and fix in one loan

Turn a home that needs work into the one you wanted

The FHA 203(k) rolls the purchase and the repairs into a single mortgage, so you are not hunting for a second loan to redo the kitchen. It is more paperwork up front. For the right house at the right price, it is worth it. I will tell you honestly whether a place is a good candidate.

See how it works

How the help stacks

How it works, start to close

One call

Tell me where you are. We talk through your goal, your timeline, and what you can put down. No pressure, no obligation.

Match the programs

I line up the down-payment, veteran, and tax programs that actually apply to your situation and your price range, and flag the ones that do not.

Confirm and close

You confirm the numbers with a participating lender. I help you find the right home and get you to the closing table.

The workshop

The session after the required class

Clayton County makes you take an 8-hour class before you can touch the down payment money. This is the session after that one: which tier fits you, how the county money layers on top, and what order to do it in.

See what the workshop covers

Straight answers, in my own words

Most homes here sell between $215,000 and $250,000, and I will tell you which ones are worth it

100%

Calls I return myself

1989

In Clayton County since

Clayton-area towns I cover

Years in the U.S. Navy

1/3

Riverdale is really two ZIPs, and the gap is real money. So far this year, the 30274 side is running about $215,000 and 30296 about $251,450 (InfoSparks, Georgia MLS, twelve-month median through July 2026), with most of the single-level ranches and the shorter airport commute. Knowing which side fits you is the first call I help you get right.

Johnnie Benton Sr.

On Riverdale's two ZIPs

2/3

A first-time buyer here can stack real help: Clayton County's down payment assistance on top of Georgia Dream, up to about $22,500 toward your purchase. That top number takes a public-service tier and an income under the Clayton limit, so it is not everybody. Most agents never bring it up at all. I will show you the exact stack you actually qualify for.

Johnnie Benton Sr.

On down payment help

3/3

On a flipped home, the appraisal is not an inspection. I will not let you skip a licensed inspector. The cheapest way to lose money in this market is to find the roof, the wiring, or the HVAC after you already own the house.

Johnnie Benton Sr.

On buying a flipped home

Where I work

Start with the town

Eleven towns across Clayton County and the edges of it. Pick one and the homes for sale there open on my brokerage site.

Riverdale, GA

Two ZIPs, one honest read

See homes for sale

Jonesboro, GA

Clayton's school-first seat

See homes for sale

Forest Park, GA

Minutes to the airport jobs

See homes for sale

See every town I cover

From the guides

Clayton County, answered straight

Short reads on the questions buyers and sellers here actually ask.

Guide

A first-time homebuyer's guide for Riverdale

Read

Veterans

Stacking a VA loan with Georgia Dream Peach Select

Read

Taxes

Clayton County homestead exemption walkthrough

Read

No pressure, no obligation

Start with one conversation

Tell me what you are trying to do and I will give you the honest version of what it takes to do it in Clayton County. No sales pitch, just a straight read.

Talk with Johnnie

Call 470-885-8804