Two Price Tiers, and Columbus Is Alone in the Top One
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Ohio's price caps are simpler than most states', and far above what anyone is actually paying. This test almost never decides an Ohio file.
The two tiers
Published under OHFA purchase price and income limits, as of July 2026.
| Group | 1-family | 2-family | 3-family | 4-family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, non-target | $618,475 | $791,744 | $957,062 | $1,189,395 |
| Columbus, target | $755,913 | $967,688 | $1,169,742 | $1,453,705 |
| All other Ohio, non-target | $566,355 | $725,146 | $876,496 | $1,089,341 |
| All other Ohio, target | $692,211 | $886,290 | $1,071,272 | $1,331,417 |
The Columbus group is Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hocking, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway and Union. Every other county in the state, including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton and Canton, sits in the lower tier.
That is unusual. Cincinnati and Cleveland are large, expensive markets by Ohio standards and OHFA groups them with the rest of the state on price while giving Columbus its own tier.
Why it rarely binds
| Metro | Typical value, Aug 2026 | Applicable cap | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | $330,327 | $618,475 | $288,148 |
| Cincinnati | $308,426 | $566,355 | $257,929 |
| Cleveland | $253,678 | $566,355 | Well clear |
| Akron | $242,459 | $566,355 | Well clear |
| Toledo | $205,237 | $566,355 | Well clear |
Columbus is the most expensive metro in Ohio and still sits at barely half its cap. A buyer would need to be shopping at close to twice the metro typical value before the purchase price limit entered the conversation.
Which means the action in an Ohio file is on the income limits and on credit and ratios, not on price.
The four-family line
Ohio allows assistance on up to four units, with a non-target cap of $1,089,341 outside Columbus and $1,189,395 inside it. Illinois, by contrast, does not permit anything above two units on an IHDA loan.
For a buyer considering a small multi-unit as a first purchase, that is a meaningful difference between the two states. The property rules, including the DTI tightening on three to four units.
The conforming limit
Uniform. Per the FHFA conforming loan limits, all 88 Ohio counties sit at the 2026 national baseline of $832,750 for one unit, $1,066,250 for two and $1,601,750 for four. No Ohio county carries a high-cost designation.
Columbus at $330,327 leaves $502,423 under the one-unit conforming limit, so as with the OHFA cap it is not the binding constraint. Since the OHFA purchase price limit of $618,475 bites first anyway, the conforming limit is effectively never the ceiling on an Ohio assistance file.
What a target address does here
It lifts the one-family cap from $566,355 to $692,211, or from $618,475 to $755,913 in the Columbus group. Given Ohio values, this is the least consequential of the three things target status does; the income change matters far more. Target areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the purchase price limit for OHFA in Ohio?
$618,475 for a one-family non-target home in the Columbus group of Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hocking, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway and Union, and $566,355 in every other Ohio county, as of July 2026. In target areas those rise to $755,913 and $692,211. Limits are higher for two, three and four family properties.
Does the OHFA price limit vary by county?
Only across two tiers. The Columbus group of ten counties sits at $618,475 for a one-family non-target home, and every other Ohio county including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton and Canton sits at $566,355. There is no intermediate tier, so most of the state shares a single figure.
Is the OHFA purchase price limit a real constraint in Ohio?
Rarely. Columbus is Ohio's most expensive metro at a typical home value of $330,327 in August 2026, which sits $288,148 below its $618,475 cap. Cincinnati at $308,426 sits $257,929 below the $566,355 cap that covers the rest of the state. A buyer would generally need to be purchasing at close to twice their metro's typical value before the limit affected eligibility.
What is the conforming loan limit in Ohio for 2026?
$832,750 for one unit, $1,066,250 for two and $1,601,750 for four, in all 88 Ohio counties. No Ohio county is designated high-cost above the national baseline for 2026. Because OHFA's own purchase price limit of $618,475 or $566,355 applies first on an assistance loan, the conforming limit is effectively never the binding ceiling.
Can I buy a four-unit property with OHFA assistance?
Yes. OHFA permits one to four unit properties, with a non-target four-family purchase price limit of $1,089,341 outside the Columbus group and $1,189,395 within it. Grants for Grads is the exception and is limited to one unit. Three and four unit purchases carry tighter credit and DTI terms, at 45% DTI from a 640 to 679 score and 50% at 680 and above.
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.