FTHB Edge Fills a Band Exactly 20 Percent Wide
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
This is the most quietly useful program OHFA runs, and it exists because of an exact piece of arithmetic in the limit tables.
The gap it fills
Per the OHFA purchase price and income limits, Ohio publishes two income limits for every county: one for non-target areas and a higher one for target areas. A buyer in a target area gets the higher number. A buyer outside one gets the lower.
That leaves an obvious problem. A first-time buyer in a non-target area whose income lands between the two limits is too well paid for the program covering their address, and too poorly placed geographically for the program that would accept their income.
FTHB Edge is built precisely for that buyer. OHFA describes it as a program for first-time buyers purchasing in a non-target area whose income exceeds the non-target income limits but does not exceed the target area income limits for the subject property county.
How wide the band is
For a one-to-two-person household the target limit is exactly 1.20 times the non-target limit in every Ohio county, so the band spans the same proportion everywhere and you can work out whether you fall in it without a table. For three or more it is wider, about 21.7%, because OHFA sets the target three-or-more figure at 7/6 of the target one-to-two figure. Use the table below for smaller households and the published limits for larger ones.
| County group | Band floor, 1-2 people | Band ceiling | Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | $146,700 | $176,040 | $29,340 |
| Columbus group | $111,500 | $133,800 | $22,300 |
| Cincinnati group | $109,900 | $131,880 | $21,980 |
| Cleveland group | $105,000 | $126,000 | $21,000 |
| All other counties | $98,800 | $118,560 | $19,760 |
For a household of three or more, the floor is 1.15 times the figure above but the ceiling is not: in most counties the band runs $113,620 to $138,320, a width of $24,700. Do not scale both ends by the same multiplier.
What it costs
OHFA is straightforward that interest rates could be higher in the FTHB Edge program than the standard First-Time Homebuyer program. We do not publish rates here, so the honest framing is that Edge trades a rate difference for access that would otherwise not exist at all.
For a buyer whose alternative is no OHFA program, that is usually a trade worth making. For a buyer who is only marginally over the non-target limit, it is worth checking whether the income calculation itself can be revisited before reaching for Edge.
What it keeps
Edge is a first mortgage program, so it carries the standard assistance: 3% conventional or 3.5% government, as a seven-year second forgiven on the seventh anniversary. It also carries no title restriction, unlike the First-Time Homebuyer program where title is limited to occupant borrowers and their spouses.
The At-A-Glance also shows Edge working alongside down payment assistance in the stacking diagrams, so it is not an either-or choice with the money.
Check these first
- Is the address actually non-target? If it turns out to be in a target tract, you use the higher limit directly and skip Edge. Check target status.
- Is a non-occupant co-signer involved? Their income sits outside the OHFA limit because they do not live there, which can change which side of the band you are on. How that works.
- Is household size right? Three or more raises the non-target floor by 1.15; the ceiling is OHFA's published target three-or-more figure, which is higher than 1.15 of the floor. The limits.
Send us the numbers and we will tell you which side of the band you land on.
Frequently asked questions
What is OHFA FTHB Edge?
An OHFA first mortgage program for first-time homebuyers purchasing in a non-target area whose income exceeds the non-target income limits but does not exceed the target area income limits for the subject property county. It covers the income band between OHFA's two published limits, and OHFA notes that interest rates could be higher than the standard First-Time Homebuyer program.
How wide is the FTHB Edge income band?
For a one to two person household, exactly 20% of the non-target limit in every Ohio county. In most counties the band runs from $98,800 to $118,560, a width of $19,760, and in the Columbus group from $111,500 to $133,800, a width of $22,300. For a household of three or more the band is wider, about 21.7%, running from $113,620 to $138,320 in most counties.
Can FTHB Edge be used with down payment assistance?
Yes. FTHB Edge is one of the first mortgage programs OHFA lists as carrying the standard down payment assistance of 3% of the purchase price on a conventional loan or 3.5% on a government loan, structured as a seven-year second mortgage forgiven on the seventh anniversary of the note date.
Does FTHB Edge cost more than the standard OHFA program?
OHFA states that interest rates could be higher in the FTHB Edge program than the standard First-Time Homebuyer program. We do not publish rate figures on this site, so the practical comparison is with your loan officer. For a buyer whose income puts the standard program out of reach entirely, Edge trades a rate difference for access that would not otherwise exist.
Who should check FTHB Edge?
First-time buyers in a non-target Ohio area whose household income is above the county's non-target limit but below the target limit, which in most counties means between $98,800 and $118,560 for one or two people. Before using Edge it is worth confirming the address really is non-target, and whether a non-occupant co-signer is involved, since their income falls outside the OHFA limit and may change which side of the band you are on.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Cornerstone First Mortgage is a participating lender in the Ohio Housing Finance Agency's programs. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency is an Equal Opportunity Housing entity. Loans are available on a fair and equal basis regardless of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, military status, disability or ancestry. Please visit www.ohiohome.org for more information. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. OHFA program terms and limits are set by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and change; figures here carry the date we verified them. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.