More help for the folks who protect, teach, and heal

A deferred second mortgage, not a grant

PEN is the Protectors, Educators, and Nurses tier of Georgia Dream, the state's down payment help for first-time buyers. Like every Georgia Dream tier, it is a second mortgage at 0 percent with no monthly payment. You repay the full balance when you sell, refinance, or move out. There is no forgiveness clause, but there is no interest and nothing due month to month either.

Where the standard tier gives up to $10,000 or 5 percent of the price, PEN raises that to up to $12,500, or 6 percent, whichever is less. It is open to full-time public protectors like police, firefighters, EMTs, and correctional officers, plus active and retired military, certified educators and school staff, and licensed nurses and healthcare providers.

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How it works and who qualifies

• First-time buyer, none owned in 3 years (waived in a targeted area)
• 640 minimum credit score
• Income under $137,555 for 1-2 people
• Income under $158,188 for 3 or more
• Purchase price under $625,000 in metro
• Liquid assets capped at $20,000 or 20% of the price, whichever is greater
• Layers on FHA, VA, or conventional
• 8-hour HUD class before you close
• One tier per purchase, mutually exclusive

Two of those rules have more give than they look. The first-time buyer requirement is waived entirely when you are buying in a DCA-designated targeted area, so a repeat buyer can still qualify depending on the census tract. And the liquid asset test is not a flat $20,000: DCA sets it at $20,000 or 20% of the sales price, whichever is greater, measured at closing. On a $250,000 home that is $50,000, not $20,000. Ask your lender to check the address against the targeted-area map before you rule yourself out. Source: Georgia DCA, Georgia Dream program FAQs, retrieved 2026-08-24.

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What this means in Clayton

The pitfall most buyers miss is the refinance trigger. Refinancing the first mortgage later repays the full PEN balance at closing unless DCA grants a subordination, which is uncommon.

Most of my Riverdale buyers stack their Georgia Dream tier with the Clayton County DPA on an FHA first. A PEN buyer with Clayton Enhanced reaches $22,500 in total assistance. That is the top of the range, not the middle. The Clayton side caps at 80 percent of area median income, well under the Georgia Dream limit above, so check both before you count on the full number.

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PEN is one of three tiers and only one applies to your purchase. Which one is the first thing we settle at the first-time buyer workshop.

This is not a grant and it is not free money. It is a real second mortgage at zero percent, and you owe every dollar back.