The City. The Culture.
The Conversation.
Homes along a quiet road beside a green field, with large trees and clouds overhead.

Housing · Buying a home

USDA Section 502 Direct Loan

Offered by USDA Rural Development

Open year-roundApply anytime. Applications are reviewed as they come in.

About

About This Program

USDA home loans, usually with no down payment and with payment help, for low- and very-low-income buyers in eligible rural areas.

The Section 502 Direct Loan Program from USDA Rural Development helps low- and very-low-income applicants buy decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas. Payment assistance, a subsidy based on adjusted family income, lowers the mortgage payment for a time; borrowers repay all or part of it when the title transfers or they stop living in the home. Effective October 1, 2026, the interest rate is 5.750%, and with payment assistance it can be as low as 1%. Loans run up to 33 years, or 38 years for very-low-income applicants who can't afford a 33-year term, and usually need no down payment. Funds can be used to buy, build, repair, renovate or relocate a home, or to buy and prepare a site. Check whether a property is in an eligible rural area on USDA's eligibility site. Applications are accepted year round through your local Rural Development office, but processing depends on local funding. In Georgia, USDA housing questions go to 706-552-2541.

Eligibility

Who Can Apply

  • Adjusted household income at or below the low-income limit for the area
  • Without decent, safe and sanitary housing
  • Unable to get a loan elsewhere on terms you can reasonably meet
  • Will live in the home as your primary residence
  • Legal capacity to take on a loan
  • U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
  • Not suspended or debarred from federal programs
  • Home in an eligible rural area, valued within the area loan limit and not used to produce income

Area served: State of Georgia

The offer

What's Offered

  • Home loan to buy, build, repair, renovate or relocate a home in an eligible rural area
  • Payment assistance that can lower the interest rate to as low as 1%
  • Up to 33 years to repay (38 for some very-low-income borrowers)
  • Usually no down payment

Amount: 5.750% fixed rate (as low as 1% with payment assistance); usually no down payment

Get ready

What You'll Need

Not provided yet.

Key dates

Dates

OpensYear-round
DeadlineRolling
Last reviewedOct 28, 2026

Keep exploring

More Housing Resources

Man signing paperwork on a clipboard while a woman stands across from him indoors.
Buying a home
Metro Atlanta

ANDP Down Payment Assistance

ANDP pairs $15,000 to $20,000 in homebuyer assistance with select homes it sells, and helps buyers combine other down payment programs.

OngoingAtlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP)
Smiling couple meeting with an adviser, with one shaking hands and the other holding paperwork.
Buying a home
City of Atlanta

Atlanta Down Payment Assistance

Up to $20,000 in down payment help for first-time buyers in the City of Atlanta, or up to $25,000 for some public servants and voucher holders.

OngoingAtlanta Housing

Stay in the Loop

Know When Opportunities Open.

Pick what matters to you. We'll email you when new programs open and before deadlines close.

Sign-up for program alerts opens soon.