Section A · The Buyer's Desk
The Buyer's Edition
Buying your first home in Oakland or Macomb County starts here: what it costs, which Michigan programs actually help, and the six steps between your lease and your closing table. Raquel Delly has spent 12 years walking first-time buyers through this exact sequence, and this page is the plain-language version of that conversation.
Two fears arrive with almost every first-time buyer: "Can I afford it?" and "Where do I even begin?" The first is answered with a preapproval, not a calculator. The second is answered with a plan, which your agent should hand you in the first meeting and then hold you to.
Michigan is a buyer-friendly state in one specific way: the down payment help is real. MSHDA, the state housing authority, offers its MI Home Loan mortgage plus deferred, no-interest down payment assistance of up to $7,500 (MI DPA) or $10,000 (MI 10K DPA) in many cases. That is the difference between "someday" and "this spring."
The rest is process: offer, inspection, appraisal, closing. None of it should be a mystery, and none of it should happen without someone explaining each document before you sign. That is the job. Raquel's first-time clients leave every meeting knowing exactly where they stand.
The Sequence · Six Steps
Six steps from lease to keys
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01
Get preapproved
A lender reviews your income, credit, and assets and issues a preapproval letter that says what you can borrow. This sets your real price range and makes every offer you write credible to sellers.
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02
Run the programs
Michigan's MSHDA programs can cover a meaningful chunk of your down payment. Raquel checks the current income limits, price caps, and availability against your situation before you commit to a plan.
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03
Write the list
Commute, schools, layout, yard, noise tolerance, resale plan. You tour with the list, not just with feelings, which is how buyers end up in a home that still fits in two years.
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04
Tour and compare
Raquel keeps honest notes across every home you see. When a house has a problem the model home will not show you, she says so, before you fall in love with the wrong thing.
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05
Offer and negotiate
Your offer includes price, closing date, inspection terms, and contingencies. She writes it to win while protecting you, and negotiates with the seller's agent until the terms are right.
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06
Inspect, appraise, close
The inspection report and the appraisal each have a chapter in the story. She reads them with you, negotiates what should be fixed, and gets you to the table with no surprises.
The Fine Print · Michigan Programs
Down payment help that is real, and current
MI Home Loan · Program 1
The state's first-time buyer mortgage
A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage from MSHDA for first-time buyers (with exceptions in targeted areas). Household income limits apply, the sales price cap is $566,355 as of this writing, and a housing education class is part of the program. Buyers may also claim a mortgage interest tax credit of up to 20% of annual interest. These terms shift, which is why Raquel verifies the current numbers for each client before they choose a path.
MI DPA · Program 2
Up to $7,500, no interest, no monthly payment
Down payment and closing cost help as a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage. There is no monthly payment; the loan is repaid when the home is sold, refinanced, or paid off. Paired with the MI Home Loan, this is the most common stack Raquel's first-time clients use.
MI 10K DPA · Program 3
Up to $10,000, expanded statewide
The same structure as the MI DPA with a higher ceiling: 0% interest, deferred, with appraisal-gap coverage allowed and no asset limit. It requires the MSHDA housing education class. Availability changes with funding, so the current status is confirmed at your consultation, not assumed from an article.
One program is not currently available: MSHDA's First-Generation Down Payment Assistance ($25,000 for qualifying first-generation buyers) is closed with all funds exhausted as of this writing. That is the exact reason to talk to someone who checks the current list.
Source: MSHDA MI Home Loan and program summaries, current as of late 2026.
The Offer · No Pressure
Bring the questions. Leave with a plan.
The first conversation is free, calm, and completely without pressure. Raquel listens to where you are, checks the current programs against your situation, and hands you a plan you can actually follow. You will not be asked to sign anything, and you will never feel rushed.
The Buyer's Intake · Form 2-A