VA and USDA loans genuinely require no down payment for those who qualify, and state down-payment-assistance programmes plus a seller concession can cover most of the rest for everybody else, but no legitimate route removes closing costs entirely.
There are real answers here and a great many bad ones. The real ones are government loan programmes and local assistance. The bad ones are anything that requires you to pay somebody first to learn the secret.
The two genuine zero-down loans
A VA loan requires no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance, for eligible service members, veterans and some surviving spouses. There is a one-time funding fee, which can normally be financed, and which is waived in some circumstances.
A USDA loan requires no down payment in eligible areas, which cover far more of the country than the word rural suggests, subject to income limits for the household. Both programmes are worth checking eligibility for before assuming you do not qualify.
For everybody else: assistance plus concessions
Down payment assistance is administered by state housing agencies and by many cities and counties, usually as a grant or a second loan, usually for first-time buyers under an income cap, and often with a homebuyer education course attached. This is the piece most people do not know exists, and the state housing agency's own site is where to start.
Separately, a seller concession is money the seller agrees in the contract to put toward the buyer's closing costs. It does not reduce the price, it reduces the cash you need on the day, and how much is allowed depends on the loan programme. Combine a 3% conventional loan, an assistance programme for the deposit and a seller concession for the costs, and the cash needed can get very small.
What to be careful of
Anything that sells you a system, anything that asks for a fee before a lender is involved, and any arrangement where you pay for a right to buy later rather than buying. Rent to own is the common one, and it is not automatically a scam, but the money you put in is usually forfeited if the purchase does not happen.
The other caution is honest arithmetic. A no-money-down purchase has a larger loan and a larger payment, no equity cushion, and no savings left over. The question is not only whether you can get in, it is whether the payment works in the month after you do.
Questions people ask
Can you buy a house with no money at all?
Rarely and not reliably. A zero-down loan removes the deposit, not the closing costs, and lenders usually want to see some reserves afterwards. Assistance programmes and a seller concession can close most of the remaining gap.
What is the easiest loan to get with no money down?
A VA loan for those eligible, because it needs no deposit and no monthly mortgage insurance. USDA is the equivalent for eligible areas and incomes.
Are down payment assistance programmes real?
Yes, and they are run by state and local housing agencies rather than by private companies. Start at your state housing agency; a programme that contacts you first and asks for a fee is not one of them.