You are a first-time home buyer because the mobile home you owned was not permanently affixed to a permanent foundation. Whether you are a first-time home buyer in this scenario depends on your mortgage type.įor an FHA mortgage, you are a first-time home buyer for this purchase because you have not owned your primary residence within the last 36 months.įor a conventional mortgage backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you are not a first-time home buyer because you have owned a home in the last 3 years. I’ve been renting somewhere else for more than three years. I owned a home that I lived in more than three years ago. You are a first-time home buyer for this purchase because, by government definition, you qualify as a displaced homemaker. I owned a home with my former spouse while we were married. You are a first-time home buyer for this purchase because you are buying the home as a single parent, and you only owned a home while married to your ex-spouse. You and your spouse are first-time home buyers when you haven’t owned a home as a primary residence in the last three years, and your spouse has owned a home as a primary residence in the previous three years. My spouse is not a first-time home buyer. The mortgage application date does not affect eligibility.įirst-time home buyers can include renters, children, single parents, displaced homemakers, and people living rent-free.

The three-year period for first-time home buyer eligibility is backward-looking, based on the upcoming purchase closing date. The government defines a first-time home buyer as anyone who hasn’t owned their primary residence within the previous 3 years. What is the Government Definition of a First-Time Home Buyer? → Best Mortgages for First-time Home Buyers.→ What Are Advantages for First-Time Home Buyers?.→ What Is a First-Generation Home Buyer?.→ What is the Government Definition of a First-Time Home Buyer?.

First time home buyer