Los Angeles buyer guide
Can I Use the Citi HomeRun Mortgage or Citi Lender Paid Assistance in Los Angeles?
The short answer
Citi Lender Paid Assistance is a non-repayable credit of up to $7,500, and the Citi HomeRun Mortgage is listed at as low as 3% down; Citi, not an agent, decides whether a given buyer and home qualify in Los Angeles, and HomeRun's citi.com page returned a not-found on November 9, 2026. Justin Borges of The Borges Real Estate Team at eXp Realty (DRE #01940318, (213) 262-5092) is the Los Angeles agent who helps buyers weigh both programs.
Los Angeles buyers who found Citi while searching for bank homebuyer grants want to know what the two Citi programs are before sitting down with a loan officer. Each section reads one part of Citi's published pages and ends on the figure or test Citi lists, from the $7,500 credit to the 3% HomeRun down payment, so you can tell which questions belong to a realtor and which belong to the lender.
Learn the steps before your Citi call
See how a Los Angeles purchase runs from offer to closing before your Citi call, then bring your Citi questions to your loan officer.
Is there a Citi program called the Citi Lend Grant?
Lend Grant is not a Citi program name. Citi's Closing Cost Assistance page names the program Lender Paid Assistance, and no Citi page or search result opened for this guide shows a product called Lend Grant (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance, checked November 9, 2026). A buyer who meets that phrase in a search result or a conversation should use the name on Citi's own page with a loan officer.
Grants from other banks are covered in Which Banks Offer First-Time Homebuyer Grants in Los Angeles in 2026?
Send me where you saw 'Citi Lend Grant' and I will tell you which Citi page name it matches. Text (213) 262-5092
Citi titles the page that describes the credit Closing Cost Assistance, and the program name on it is Lender Paid Assistance. Citi describes it as a non-repayable lender credit. Non-repayable means the credit is not a loan, so no part of it is paid back. A lender credit is a dollar amount the lender subtracts from what you owe at closing. It lowers the closing bill instead of paying you a grant, which is why this guide calls it a credit and does not call it a grant. The credit on that page is up to $7,500 (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance).
What does Citi Lender Paid Assistance pay for?
Citi applies Lender Paid Assistance first to eligible non-recurring closing costs (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance, checked November 9, 2026). Non-recurring means one-time: charges paid once to complete the purchase, as opposed to charges that return month after month.
Call me and I will go through the Loan Estimate you have so far and mark which lines are one-time closing costs, so your question to Citi names the line. Call (213) 262-5092
A rate buy-down spends money at closing to lower the interest rate on a loan, and a lower rate means a smaller monthly payment on the same loan balance. Citi's page states that any remainder buys down the rate (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance).
The words up to set a ceiling, so the amount on a Los Angeles purchase can be lower. The ceiling on Citi's page is $7,500 (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance; terms change; confirm with the lender).
What is the Citi HomeRun Mortgage?
The Citi HomeRun Mortgage is a Citi home loan built around a low down payment. Citi's mortgage.com HomeRun page lists these terms and adds that Citi's offerings and lending guidelines may differ (Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com), checked November 9, 2026; Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data); terms change; confirm with Citi):
| Term | What Citi's mortgage.com page lists |
|---|---|
| Down payment | As low as 3% |
| Your own contribution | As little as 1%, when the rest comes from eligible gifts or down payment programs |
| Mortgage insurance | No private mortgage insurance |
| Debt-to-income | 43% or less |
| Loan purpose | Purchase or rate-and-term refinance, not cash-out refinance |
Private mortgage insurance, or PMI, is insurance that protects the lender and is billed to the borrower on some loans. Debt-to-income, or DTI, compares your monthly debt payments with your monthly income, and the 43% figure appears on the mortgage.com page only. A rate-and-term refinance replaces a loan to change its rate or term without taking cash out.
Tell me the kinds of home you are weighing, such as a condo or a two-unit, and I will send you the ones that fit as they come on the market. Browse current Los Angeles listings
The figure that leads both Citi pages is a down payment as low as 3% (Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com); Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data)).
Who qualifies for Citi Lender Paid Assistance?
Citi's page sets two tests for the credit besides the location test in the next section. The first test is a choice between an income route and a tract route (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance, checked November 9, 2026; terms change; confirm with the lender):
| Route | What Citi's page lists |
|---|---|
| Income route | Household income below 120% of the median family income for the area |
| Census tract route | A new home in a low- to moderate-income census tract |
| How the two join | Citi's page joins them with the word OR, not AND |
The second test is a qualified home-buying class from a Citi-approved housing counseling agency (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance).
Before touring, a buyer benefits from knowing what a lender's yes means at each stage, and Pre Qualified Vs Pre Approved Los Angeles explains the difference between the two.
Median family income is the middle income for families in the area where the home sits. A census tract is a small statistical area defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, and every address sits inside one tract. Citi's tests describe a buyer by income and a home by its address and tract, and the income line is 120% of the median family income.
Send me a listing address and I will send back its census tract number from the public lookup, so you and your loan officer are looking at the same location. Text (213) 262-5092
Does Citi offer these in Los Angeles?
Citi's credit applies in markets with Citibank branches, which Citi calls a Citi Assessment Area (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance, checked November 9, 2026). HomeRun is listed as available in eligible Citi markets (Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com); Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data)), and outside an eligible market the borrower's income must not exceed 120% of area median income (Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com)).
A branch address shows where Citi does business, not which buyers or homes meet a program test. FDIC BankFind lists Citibank, N.A. offices with a City of Los Angeles address, including 3530 Wilshire Blvd and 2450 Glendale Blvd, 23 in all, in an index dated November 6, 2026 (FDIC, BankFind Suite: Citibank, N.A. locations).
Send me an address and I will tell you whether it is inside the City of Los Angeles line Citi's branch count uses. Browse current Los Angeles listings
That count follows the City of Los Angeles line, so it says nothing about a loan limit. Citi's HomeRun content lists loans up to $832,750, or up to $1,249,125 in certain high-cost areas (Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data)), and which figure applies to your loan is Citi's call.
Can I use the credit with a HomeRun loan?
Citi's closing-cost credit is not tied only to HomeRun: the page says it can be applied to any type of loan, including FHA, and that it cannot be combined with any other Citi incentive, offer or promotion (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance, checked November 9, 2026). An FHA loan is a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration.
If comparing loan types and closing credits is new to you, learn the buying steps first, then read Citi's two pages again. Join the free first-time buyer webinar
A Los Angeles buyer weighing HomeRun against another Citi loan type is comparing two sets of terms, and the credit is a separate piece of the price on either one.
Whether a HomeRun and credit pairing applies to your own loan depends on the loan, the home and your income. Citi's HomeRun content on citi.com says the offer cannot be combined with any other mortgage offer (Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data)), while its mortgage.com page advertises HomeRun with up to $7,500 in Lender Paid Assistance (Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com)), so ask Citi in writing whether both apply to your loan.
Take the pairing question to Citi
Text me the pairing question as you would ask it, and I will tighten it to one sentence, with the two Citi pages it comes from, for your Citi loan officer.
Which homes does Citi's program cover?
Citi's credit is for the purchase of a primary residence only (Citi, Closing Cost Assistance, checked November 9, 2026). A primary residence is the home you live in as your main address.
HomeRun covers single-family homes, condos, co-ops and two-unit properties (Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com); Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data)). In a California condo you own your unit and share the common areas with the other owners. In a co-op you own shares in the corporation that owns the building. A two-unit property is one building with two homes under one title.
If a condo is on your list, I will send you its listed HOA dues. Text (213) 262-5092
On a two-unit home, Citi's HomeRun content lists 89.99% financing for loan amounts up to $1,066,250, or 85% financing up to $1,599,375 in certain high-cost markets, and at least 5% of the down payment must come from the buyer's own funds (Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data); confirm with Citi).
Frequently asked questions
Is Citi on the City of Los Angeles first-time buyer lender list?
No. The Los Angeles Housing Department's participating-lenders list, dated through September 30, 2026, does not list Citi ( LAHD, Participating Lenders list, checked November 9, 2026 ). Check the current version before you rely on it. The guide Can I Stack a Bank Grant With CalHFA or LA City Down Payment Assistance? covers the city's program.
Text me and I will send you the City of Los Angeles page that lists first-time buyer programs, with the date printed on it. Text (213) 262-5092
Does Citi Lender Paid Assistance work on a refinance?
No. Citi's page limits Lender Paid Assistance to purchase transactions ( Citi, Closing Cost Assistance ). A purchase transaction is the closing of a home sale with a new loan, while a refinance replaces a loan on a home the borrower already owns.
Can I put the Citi credit toward my down payment?
No. Citi's page says the credit cannot pay any part of the down payment, interim interest or prepaid escrows, and there is no cash back ( Citi, Closing Cost Assistance ). Prepaid escrows are money collected at closing to start property tax and insurance accounts.
Is there a HomeRun page on citi.com?
On November 9, 2026, the citi.com HomeRun page address redirected to a not-found page. Citi's mortgage.com page and the page data citi.com still serves behind that address both list HomeRun terms ( Citi, Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com) ; Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data) ). Treat HomeRun availability for your address as unconfirmed.
What is the HomeRun loan amount limit for a Los Angeles home?
Citi's HomeRun content lists loans up to $832,750, or up to $1,249,125 in certain high-cost areas, with 5% down needed in the higher band ( Citi, HomeRun Mortgages (Citi page data) ). Citi decides which band applies to your loan.
Send me a list price you are considering and I will lay it beside the $832,750 and $1,249,125 figures Citi lists. Browse current Los Angeles listings
Do I have to be a first-time buyer to use Citi Lender Paid Assistance?
Citi's published eligibility list names an assessment-area location, an income or census-tract test and a home-buying class, and it names no first-time-buyer rule. Citi's terms add that the credit is subject to additional property, income and other eligibility requirements, so your Citi loan officer confirms whether any first-time rule applies ( Citi, Closing Cost Assistance ).
Check one address against recent sales
Text me the address you are closest to an offer on, and I will pull the recent sales of similar homes nearby so your offer rests on comparable sales.
Sources
- Closing Cost Assistance, citi.com. Checked November 9, 2026.
- Citi HomeRun Mortgage (Citi page on mortgage.com), mortgage.com. Checked November 9, 2026.
- HomeRun Mortgages, citi.com. Checked November 9, 2026.
- BankFind Suite: Citibank, N.A. locations, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (api.fdic.gov). Checked November 9, 2026.
- Participating Lenders list, Los Angeles Housing Department (housing.lacity.gov). Checked November 9, 2026.
About the author
Justin Borges
REALTOR® | CA DRE #01940318
Justin writes LA Metro Home Finder’s guides to 30+ communities across the San Gabriel Valley, Northeast LA, and greater Los Angeles, and has closed $200M+ in career sales with a 106% average list-to-sale ratio.
Justin has held an active California DRE salesperson license since October 2013. View Justin’s author profile.
This guide is educational and is not legal, tax, title, lending, or insurance advice. Contract forms, statutes, and lender rules change. Confirm the terms that apply to your sale with your escrow officer, title officer, lender, or a California real estate attorney.
