A participating Georgia Dream lender who tells you straight.
This site exists to make Georgia's down payment assistance easy to understand. Mike Certo is a Branch Manager and licensed loan officer with Cornerstone First Mortgage, a participating Georgia Dream lender. He originates the Georgia Dream first mortgage and the assistance second directly, this isn't a lead-referral directory.
Why this site exists
Search "down payment assistance in Georgia" and you'll hit pages that call the Georgia Dream second a "grant" or quote year-old limits. We keep this site current to the actual Georgia Dream rules, the $10,000 and $12,500 tiers, the 640 credit floor, the July 2026 income and price limits, and we're clear that the assistance is a deferred loan you repay later, not free money. It's a strong program for a lot of Georgia buyers. When it isn't the right fit, we say so.
What we do
- Originate Georgia Dream loans directly, Standard, PEN, and CHOICE tiers.
- Match the tier to your situation, first-time vs targeted-county, PEN/CHOICE eligibility, FHA vs conventional.
- Serve Georgia statewide, Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and every county.
- Give honest tradeoff advice, including when saving your own down payment beats taking assistance.
Cornerstone First Mortgage
Cornerstone First Mortgage, LLC (NMLS #173855) is a national mortgage lender. Mike Certo (NMLS #260555) runs the branch behind this site. Reach him at (480) 296-6513 or mcerto@cfmtg.com.