Homebuyer Programs in Apex, North Carolina (2026)
Est. City Population
80,419
Median Home Price
$634,000
Est. Closing Costs
$15,900
By Tyler Thompson · NC Licensed Agent · Updated May 24, 2026
Apex is a fast-growing town of approximately 80,419 residents in Wake County, located about 15 miles southwest of downtown Raleigh and sharing borders with Cary and Holly Springs. The town has grown nearly 25 percent since the 2020 Census and was named the top place to live in America by Money Magazine in 2015, a recognition driven by its top-rated Wake County Public School System schools, low crime, and a charming Salem Street downtown. Major employers across the region include the Wake County Public School System with about 17,000 employees, WakeMed Health and Hospitals, and the growing life sciences and technology corridor that includes Pfizer, Cisco Systems, and SAS Institute. The median home sale price in March 2026 was about $634,000 according to the Redfin Apex housing market report.
First-time buyers in Apex typically focus on established neighborhoods such as Olde Apex near the historic downtown core, Scotts Mill off Olive Chapel Road, Salem Village in west Apex near Apex Friendship High School, and Beaver Creek Commons along the US 64 corridor, where townhomes and smaller single-family homes occasionally come on the market under $500,000. Buyers willing to look just outside the town limits often expand their search into nearby Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, both of which also qualify for the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program. The Town of Apex is also a project partner with the Raleigh Area Land Trust, which is building permanently affordable homes across Wake County using the community land trust model.
The single most valuable program for an Apex first-time buyer earning at or below 80 percent of Wake County Area Median Income is the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program, which provides a forgivable, no-payment loan of up to $40,000. Stacking the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program at $40,000 with the North Carolina 1st Home Advantage Down Payment at $15,000 and the NC Home Advantage Mortgage at up to 3 percent of the loan amount can produce more than $65,000 in combined assistance on an Apex starter home, enough to cover the entire down payment, all closing costs, and reserves on a $384,000 townhome purchase.
Between the one Wake County program, three nonprofit options including Habitat for Humanity Greater Raleigh, Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, and the Raleigh Area Land Trust, plus state and federal layers, Apex buyers have access to assistance dollars that rival what is available in much larger Triangle markets like Raleigh and Durham, even at Apex's higher price point.
Local Down Payment Assistance Programs
Programs below are administered locally and are specific to this city, county, or area nonprofits.
Nonprofit Programs
| Program Name | Type | Amount | First-Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat for Humanity Greater Raleigh Homebuyer Program | Affordable mortgage program with sweat equity partnership | Affordable mortgage with no down payment required | Required |
| NACA Homebuyer Program | Affordable mortgage | No down payment, no closing costs, no fees, below-market interest rate | No |
| Raleigh Area Land Trust Shared Equity Homeownership | Shared equity community land trust model | Permanently affordable home purchase price (land held in trust) | Required |
What Does Buying a $384,000 Home in Apex Actually Cost?
Example shows a first-time buyer earning at or below 80 percent of Wake County Area Median Income purchasing a $384,000 townhome in Apex with a Federal Housing Administration 3.5 percent down payment loan. The buyer stacks the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program with the North Carolina 1st Home Advantage Down Payment. Combined assistance of $55,000 covers the $13,440 down payment and $9,600 in estimated closing costs, with about $31,960 remaining for prepaid escrows, points, and reserves or to reduce the principal. Important constraints to verify with your lender: per the official DHIC page, Wake County program funds were exhausted for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the program restarts July 1, 2026 with new allocations, so interested buyers should complete the counseling process now to be ready when funding reopens. Both programs require homebuyer education through an approved counselor, a credit score of at least 640, and use of an approved lender.
How to Apply for DPA Programs in Apex
- 1Step 1
Check your eligibility for the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program. Confirm your household income is at or below 80 percent of Wake County Area Median Income (2025 limits range from $72,950 for a one-person household to $137,550 for an eight-person household), that this will be your first home, that your credit score is at least 640, and that the property you want to buy is in Apex (not inside the City of Raleigh or the Township of Cary, which are excluded). New construction and existing homes both qualify. Full eligibility details are on the DHIC program page.
- 2Step 2
Complete homebuyer education through DHIC, Inc., the Housing and Urban Development approved counseling agency that administers the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program. DHIC delivers the eight-hour NeighborWorks America homebuyer workshop in two consecutive Saturday sessions, available virtually or in person. Register through the DHIC workshop schedule page or call 919-832-4345 extension 2 to ask about upcoming dates.
- 3Step 3
Contact DHIC to begin the Wake County program application. Call 919-832-3696 or email WakeAHP@dhic.org to start the eligibility review and to receive the current list of approved lenders. Per the DHIC program page, program funds were exhausted for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the program reopens July 1, 2026, so completing counseling now positions you to apply as soon as new funds become available.
- 4Step 4
Get pre-approved with a Wake County program approved lender. The lender will run your full credit and income file, structure the first mortgage (typically a Federal Housing Administration loan or a NC Home Advantage Mortgage from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency), and layer the North Carolina 1st Home Advantage Down Payment and the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program on top. Tell your lender at the start that you plan to use both the Wake County program and NCHFA programs so they can structure the file correctly.
- 5Step 5
Find an eligible home in Apex. New construction and existing single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums in Apex qualify under the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program, which has no maximum sales price. Established first-time-buyer neighborhoods include Olde Apex, Salem Village, Scotts Mill, and Beaver Creek Commons. The town's growth corridor near Veridea, where the NC Children's health campus is planned, will deliver substantial new for-sale inventory in coming years per the Veridea development site.
- 6Step 6
Submit your full application package once you are under contract. Your lender and DHIC will coordinate the Wake County program approval, the NCHFA assistance, and the first mortgage underwriting. Plan a 30- to 60-day window from contract to close. Because Wake County funds are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis when the program reopens July 1, 2026, having your education, credit, pre-approval, and signed contract ready early in the cycle gives you the strongest chance of capturing the full $40,000 allocation.
Housing Market in Apex
The median home sale price in Apex was approximately $634,000 in March 2026 according to the Redfin Apex housing market report, which represents a 0.38 percent decrease from the previous year. Homes sold after a median of about 45 days on the market, indicating a more balanced pace than the rapid-sale conditions of 2021 and 2022.
Inventory has expanded across Wake County as new construction in nearby Veridea, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina has added housing options at a wide range of price points. Different data sources show meaningfully different snapshots: Redfin reported a January 2026 median sale price near $530,000 reflecting recent closed sales, while the Zillow Home Value Index for the same period was approximately $588,728 as a smoothed measure, and Realtor.com listed a December 2025 median listing price near $595,000.
For first-time buyers, the practical implication in Apex is that the entry-level townhome and small single-family segment near and below $400,000 is the most likely target for stacking the Wake County Affordable Homeownership Program with North Carolina Housing Finance Agency programs. The market sits well above the median for Wake County overall, comparable to Cary and meaningfully higher than Raleigh, Durham, and most other North Carolina cities profiled on this site.