USDA Loans Nevada · Cornerstone First Mortgage · NMLS #173855Talk to a USDA specialist · (480) 296-6513
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Cornerstone First Mortgage · Mike Certo NMLS #260555

USDA loans in Nevada: buy with $0 down in an eligible area.

The federal government owns 80% of Nevada, so the private, buildable land where USDA works sits in a narrow band of valley towns and rural county seats outside Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City. If your address is on the map and your income fits the county limit, USDA finances the whole purchase with no down payment. We check both and tell you straight whether it fits.

We read the live USDA map for the exact address. Informational only. USDA makes the final call on a complete application.

How USDA works

Three things decide whether you qualify

USDA is simpler than most buyers expect. It comes down to where the home is, what your household earns, and whether you'll live there.

1 · Location

The home is in an eligible area

USDA covers rural areas and many small towns and outer suburbs, often closer to Nevada metros than people assume. We check the exact address on the USDA map.

Check the map →
2 · Income

Your household income fits the limit

USDA sets a household income limit by county, based on the area's median income. Larger households get a higher limit. We look yours up for you.

See income limits →
3 · Occupancy

You'll live there as your home

USDA is for owner-occupied primary residences, not rentals or vacation homes. One eligible home at a time.

Read the guide →

Where do USDA loans work in Nevada?

USDA rules out Nevada's three urban cores: the Las Vegas Valley (Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas), Reno-Sparks, and Carson City. The eligible ring around Reno is especially tight, so the map really opens up only once you reach the valley towns and rural county seats. Pahrump in Nye County (about an hour west of Las Vegas), Fernley and Dayton in Lyon County near Reno and Carson City, and Fallon out in Churchill County are the kind of eligible landing spots.

The Nevada backdrop is the land itself. The federal government owns 80.1% of Nevada, the highest share of any state in the country, mostly BLM range that cannot be bought or built on. So the private, developable parcels where a USDA loan can actually be used sit in a narrow band of towns, not spread across the map, which makes checking the exact address more important here than almost anywhere.

The $122,800 (1-4 people) and $162,100 (5-8) income floor for 2026 governs across nearly all of Nevada; the state does not carry the high-AMI resort-county exceptions that lift limits in places like Colorado. Nevada Rural Housing's Home At Last assistance layers directly onto a USDA loan for down payment or closing costs. See the full Nevada USDA income limits and property map for the county detail.

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One team, application to close

The person who takes your first call stays with your file. No handoff to a call center.

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Straight answers on eligibility

We check the map and the income limit up front. If USDA doesn't fit your address, we say so and show the backup.

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A backup if USDA doesn't fit

Just over the income line or outside the map? FHA at 3.5% down and Conventional 97 at 3% are ready.

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Called back fast

Send your scenario and our team calls you back shortly.

"We thought zero-down was too good to be true, and we figured we made too much for a program like this. Turned out the house we wanted was inside the USDA line, and our income fit once they counted our household the right way. We closed with money still in the bank. It felt like getting a head start."

Nevada homeowner, verified client (name withheld for privacy)

Every file is different, and the USDA income limit and eligible map both change by county and get updated over time. That's why we confirm the specifics for your exact address on the call instead of guessing from a ZIP code. You get the same standard either way: plain English, honest math, and one team that stays with your loan from the first question to the closing table.

No obligation, no pressure, no salesy follow-up queue. Check your eligibility above, or send your situation and get a straight answer. You decide what happens next.

Reviews

What clients say

Verified reviews from Mike Certo's experience.com profile, updated automatically.

USDA loans in Nevada: common questions

What is a USDA loan?

A USDA loan is a zero-down mortgage backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program (Section 502 Guaranteed). It lets eligible buyers finance 100% of a home in a qualifying rural or small-town area, with no down payment and fees lower than FHA. Despite the name, it is a standard residential mortgage, not a farm loan.

Who qualifies for a USDA loan in Nevada?

Three things decide it: the home must sit in a USDA-eligible area, your total household income must fall within the county limit (115% of the area median), and you must live in the home as your primary residence. There is no first-time-buyer requirement. USDA sets no hard credit-score minimum, though a 640 score clears the automated system fastest.

What is the income limit for a USDA loan?

USDA caps household income at 115% of the area median, and it counts income from every adult in the household, not only the borrower. The national standard limit is $122,800 for a household of 1 to 4 and $162,100 for 5 to 8 people, effective July 13, 2026. Higher-cost counties allow more, so the right figure depends on where you buy.

Is my Nevada address USDA eligible?

Roughly 97% of U.S. land area is USDA-eligible, and the map reaches many outer suburbs and small towns near Nevada metros, not just remote countryside. Eligibility follows the USDA map, which now uses 2020-census boundaries. The only way to be sure is to check the exact address, which we do for you before you make an offer.

Does a USDA loan have mortgage insurance or PMI?

USDA does not charge PMI. Instead it has two guarantee fees: a one-time 1.0% upfront fee that you can finance into the loan, and a 0.35% annual fee spread across your monthly payments. Both were set in 2016 and are unchanged for 2026. That is less than FHA, which charges 1.75% upfront and 0.55% annually.

What credit score do you need for a USDA loan?

There is no agency-wide minimum credit score. USDA's automated underwriting system (GUS) typically approves files at a 640 score, which is the practical target. Below 640, a loan is still possible through manual underwriting, where an underwriter documents your credit history and compensating factors by hand. Lenders may add their own overlays on top.

Ready when you are.

Find out in minutes whether your Nevada address and income clear the USDA line. If they do, you could buy with nothing down.