Can Prop 37 Help You Buy a Home in Glendale?

Maybe, if you are buying a newly built home as its first owner, your household earns no more than about 200% of the area median income, you can put at least 3% down from your own money, and you have lived in California for at least a year. Voters approved Prop 37 on November 3, 2026, with 62.3% yes in the Secretary of State’s unofficial count as of November 9, but the results are not certified until December 11.

If you live in Glendale or want to, the big catch is that the program is for new homes only. Here is how to tell whether you and the home you want would qualify, what the loan could cover, and when you might be able to use it.

What Is Prop 37, in Plain Terms?

Prop 37 lets the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) sell up to $25 billion in revenue bonds and use the money for a “middle-class homeownership loan.” That loan is a second mortgage that can cover up to 17% of the purchase price, the share a down payment would normally cover. You still put down at least 3% and get a regular first mortgage for the rest.

It is not a grant. You pay it back, and those payments are meant to repay the bond investors and cover CalHFA’s costs. Under the measure, the loan has to be fixed-rate, lenders cannot charge you an early payment penalty, and the origination fee is capped at 0.5% of the loan or $290, whichever is greater. If you hit a hard stretch, you can ask for a temporary deferral of interest payments, under terms CalHFA sets.

Do You Qualify?

Under the measure’s text, you would need to:

Have lived in California for at least one year before you apply.
Move into the home as your primary residence within 60 days of closing.
Have a family income no higher than 200% of the area median income for a family your size in the county where the home is.
Pay at least 3% of the price from your own funds, not from a grant or borrowed money.
Work with a licensed California real estate agent or broker you choose.

You do not have to be a first-time buyer. The eligibility rules do not include that requirement. What matters is that you are the first person to buy that particular home.

The Income Limit in LA County

CalHFA will publish the official income tables. For a rough idea, the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) lists a 2026 median income for Los Angeles County of $108,100 for a four-person household. Doubling HCD’s 2026 median figures gives these estimates:

1 person: $75,650 x 2 = $151,300
2 people: $86,500 x 2 = $173,000
3 people: $97,300 x 2 = $194,600
4 people: $108,100 x 2 = $216,200

These are our calculations, not CalHFA’s. The measure leaves the family-size adjustment to CalHFA, so the final numbers may differ. CalHFA will also set underwriting rules such as credit scores and debt-to-income ratios. It may require homebuyer education for some borrowers, including first-time buyers.

Does the Home Qualify?

The home has to be one of these, and you have to be its first purchaser:

A newly built house, townhome, row house, condo or manufactured home.
A condo or other unit in a former nonresidential building that was converted to housing.

A resale home, meaning a house or condo someone has already owned, does not qualify at any price.

There is also a price cap: 125% of the federal conforming loan limit for a one-unit home in the county. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s 2026 limit for Los Angeles County is $1,249,125, so the 2026 cap works out to:

$1,249,125 x 1.25 = about $1,561,406

That limit is tied to the FHFA’s annual figures, so the cap can change each year. For context, Zillow’s Home Value Index puts the typical Glendale home value at $1,172,783 as of September 30, 2026. Redfin reports a median sale price of $1,249,131 for October 2026. Both are below the cap, but both include resale homes, which do not count. What matters for you is the price of the new home you are looking at.

Builders can also choose a “qualified builder option.” According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), builders who opt in meet higher labor standards and, in exchange, fall under different construction-defect rules that generally give developers more flexibility. If you buy from one of these builders, the builder has to tell you in writing before close of escrow.

How Much Could It Help?

Example only. Say you are buying a hypothetical newly built Glendale condo priced at $900,000, and your household meets the rules:

Your own down payment, 3%: $27,000
Prop 37 second loan, up to 17%: $153,000
First mortgage for the rest, 80%: $720,000

You would make payments on both loans. What the second loan costs you each month depends on its interest rate and term, and CalHFA has not set those. Closing costs are separate, though the measure tells CalHFA to adopt rules on whether the second loan can be used to pay them.

When Can You Actually Use It?

Not yet. Here is the timeline as it stands:

December 11, 2026: The Secretary of State’s calendar shows the Statement of Vote will be certified.
Effective date: Under the California Constitution, an approved initiative statute takes effect on the fifth day after the Secretary of State files the statement of the vote. If it is filed on December 11, that would be December 16, 2026.
Launch deadline: The measure gives CalHFA up to one year after the effective date to implement the program.

As of November 10, 2026, CalHFA’s homepage, press page and homebuyer programs page did not mention Prop 37 or the new loan. CalHFA may contract with one or more lenders and will set the rates and terms, and none of that has been announced.

The LAO estimates no direct state or local costs, since your loan payments are meant to repay the bonds. It also notes unknowns that could shape the program: how much demand there is from bond investors, how the loans’ cost compares with other down payment help, and whether the program leads to more homes being built and bought.

What To Do Now

Check your household income against the estimates above, keeping in mind CalHFA’s official tables may differ.
If you are already shopping, ask whether a home is new construction and whether you would be its first buyer.
Compare the asking price with the roughly $1.56 million 2026 cap for LA County.
Watch CalHFA’s website for program rules, lenders and an application date.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check with CalHFA or a lender about your own situation.

FAQ

Did Prop 37 pass?

Voters approved it in the unofficial count, with 62.3% yes as of November 9, 2026. Certification is scheduled for December 11, 2026.

Can I use Prop 37 to buy an existing home in Glendale?

No. The home must be newly built, or a unit in a converted nonresidential building, and you must be its first purchaser.

Do I have to be a first-time buyer?

No. The eligibility rules are California residency for at least one year, moving in within 60 days, income at or below 200% of area median income, and at least 3% down.

Is it free money?

No. It is a fixed-rate second mortgage that you repay, with no early payment penalty.

When can I apply?

No date has been announced. CalHFA must implement the program within one year after the measure takes effect.

Can Prop 37 Help Me Get a House in Glendale?