 TITLE: First-Time Home Buyers: How to Qualify for Loans, Programs and Grants CONTENT: How to Find Programs You May Be Eligible For\n--------------------------------------------\n*   **Fire up your browser.** Make a few different passes at an online search. First, type in the name of your state with the phrase \"first-time homebuyer program\" and then again with \"homebuyer program.\" You should get results that send you to specific pages at your state's Housing Finance Agency. Then repeat the exercise, plugging in your county to see if there are local programs available.\n*   **Sit down with a lender who specializes in first-time buyer programs.** Not all lenders are authorized to offer FHA-insured loans. (You can search online for FHA-approved lenders.) And not all lenders are up to speed on how the 3% down payment for conventional mortgages work. Ask friends, family and real estate agents for recommendations of lenders that close a lot of mortgage deals for first-timers and that have experience adding state or local grants or loans to help get the deal done. END