Lawmakers in Washington have earmarked billions of dollars for down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers as part of the Build Back Better legislative package championed by President Biden. But rookie buyers don't have to wait for Congress to act -- if it ever does.

Plenty of financial aid is available to help buyers who are short on cash for a down payment and closing costs. Indeed, while a good chunk of the economy shut down during the pandemic, the state entities that administer assistance programs have been chugging right along.

"All state housing finance agencies stayed open, and still are," reports Sean Moss of Down Payment Resource, an Atlanta firm that tracks nearly 2,200 different programs that buyers can tap for help.

These agencies not only remained open, but in some cases, they set records. "Business is booming," says Lisa DeBrock of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. "Our phones are ringing off the hook."

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation saw its volume jump considerably last year; activity was so brisk that it stayed open 24/7 and increased its assistance amounts. And the Arizona Industrial Development Authority has helped 750 buyers so far this year.

"I expect our volume to drop off slightly next year -- but then, I expected it to drop off this year, and it didn't," says Dirk Swift, AZIDA's executive director.

According to the National Association of Realtors' latest figures, about 17% of first-time buyers receive some sort of monetary help, mostly in the form of gifts or loans from parents, friends or other relatives. After all, saving for a down payment remains the highest hurdle for most buyers.

Less than 3%, NAR found, typically receive support from other entities. Had other rookies sought out these sources, perhaps many more of them would have been able to finally step onto the ownership ladder.

One problem is knowing what's available. A new pact between DPR and Zillow should go a long way toward correcting that issue. The deal allows the popular real estate website -- 2.7 billion unique visits in last year's third quarter alone -- to post all possible assistance programs that may be available to buyers searching for properties on its platform.

Another issue is knowing where to find help. And a third is that some lenders and real estate agents look down their noses at down payment assistance.

Let's dissect each point:

-- What's available: DPR says 84% of the 2,180 programs it tracks were actively funded and available from state and municipal governments, nonprofits and employers. Every state has more than one program, reports Moss, and several offer more than 100 options. California has the most options, with 350.

Programs include grants and no- or low-interest second mortgages with payments that may be deferred or even forgiven. Some are aimed specifically at veterans, first responders, educators, people with disabilities or other special circumstances.

Most programs are aimed at first-time buyers, but some are not. Most have some kind of income or sales price limitation. But in some high-cost markets, the income ceiling can exceed 180% of the area median income. Even with income ceilings, though, the benefits can range into tens of thousands of dollars. And they can be combined with each other and used with all types of mortgages, including those backed by Uncle Sam.

Benefits like that are worth looking into, if only because owning a house is the quickest, safest way to build wealth. If you had purchased a house three years ago using one of her state's programs, Washington's DeBrock points out, you would have already amassed thousands of dollars in equity.

-- Where to find help: One way to find what's available is to go to downpaymentresource.com, Zillow.com or themortgagereports.com. Or simply search online for the benefits offered in your state.

You might even ask a lender or a real estate agent if they know about such programs in your state. DPR partners with a number of lenders, banks and multiple listing services. Some use the data as consumer-facing information on their websites, while others use it internally to inform their own people or members.

Unfortunately, not all housing professionals are as knowledgeable about down payment assistance as they should be. Some even turn away from such programs. So if you run up against a brick wall, ask others until you find someone who is familiar with what's available.

-- Misconceptions and misinformation: Some lenders believe that down payments that don't come solely from the borrower's wallet are not safe. Others think such loans are too difficult to deal with. But people who run the state agencies beg to differ.

Swift in Arizona says it's actually more difficult to deal with applicants whose funds come from family or friends than those whose money comes from state-run assistance programs. DeBrock agrees.

"The strength of DPA programs is that lenders don't have to worry about the funds being there at closing," says DeBrock. "The buyer has to go to closing" to access the funds.

Adds Charles White, who directs Florida's programs: Assistance is "very trustworthy. ... Borrowers are completely underwritten" to make sure they meet program requirements.

Another issue is that some lenders don't prioritize affordable lending. But then, that's another story.

NEXT WEEK: Help with closing costs.

A recent survey of 1,250 American adults found that 43% plan to start their own business this year. The poll by Digital.com, which reviews the websites of small businesses, didn't ask whether these entrepreneurs would be working from home. But it's a good bet most of them will start out there.

Perhaps that's why Jacksonville, Florida, architect Deryl Patterson is hearing more requests from her builder clients for four-bedroom units, even in apartments and townhouses. She suspects the work-from-home phenomenon is at least part of the reason.

She calls it "a post-pandemic shift in the market."

Patterson, whose firm, Housing Design Matters, works all over the country, is telling her clients to take it slow before adding another bedroom, even in the current white-hot market. "Get real market data" rather than relying on gut instinct alone, she says.

If buyers of these larger homes intend to actually use all their bedrooms as sleeping spaces, then an extra bathroom is necessary, the architect points out. "It doesn't add that much cost to add a bedroom," she says, but a bathroom is second in expense only to the kitchen.

On the other hand, if people are just looking for more space, perhaps to use the extra bedroom as an office, Patterson suggests other alternatives. In one recent project, the firm supplemented the unit's three bedrooms with a 7-by-7 "Zoom room/pocket office."

Even that may not be enough, though. So Housing Design Matters is drawing plans with extra-large kitchen islands with seating on three sides in hopes that the dining room won't be "hijacked" as someone's home office.

Meanwhile, some of her apartment-builder clients have given up on two-bedroom units in favor of at least three. One builder told Patterson that demand for three bedrooms was so "off the charts" that he could lease an entire project of just three-bedroom apartments.

What Patterson's firm is experiencing is in line with what the National Association of Home Builders says is going on nationwide. In the hunt for more space, houses are being built larger, with more amenities packed both inside and outside their walls.

Between 2016 and 2019, newly built houses were shrinking ever so slightly. But since the pandemic hit in 2020, square footage has been increasing. Last year, the average new house was 2,561 square feet -- the most since 2015, when the average was 2,689.

That 128-square-foot difference is the rough equivalent of an 11-by-11 space -- or, as it happens, a small bedroom. And 46% of new houses had four bedrooms last year, which is second only to 2015 (47%).

Of course, builders aren't putting more space just in the bedroom. According to the NAHB, more new houses had three or more full bathrooms and three-car or larger garages than any time since 2015 -- 34% and 19%, respectively.

There's not a simple COVID cause-and-effect here, researcher Rose Quint told me. But it's partly the case. Another example, she said, is the fact that patios now come standard with nearly two-thirds of all new houses.

"This is not a new trend. The demand has been there for over a decade," she said. "But COVID certainly accelerated it, because people want to spend more time outside."

This year, builders say they will be giving features other than bathrooms and bedrooms more importance. Shoppers are most likely to see more walk-in closets, energy-efficient lighting and windows, and better-designed kitchens. Other likely features are 9-foot first-floor ceilings, programmable thermostats, front porches and two-car garages.

Interestingly, home offices are not on the list of the 18 features builders will probably include in their products going forward. But that's not because buyers don't want them. Indeed, according to another NAHB survey, a whopping 80% of homebuyers are searching for dwellings with a home office, with 29% fervently doing so.

Consequently, most builders are probably going to offer to carve out space for home offices for those who really want them -- and can pay for them. "A lot of builders will offer them as an option," says Quint. "Not everybody can afford a home office."

Much of the quest for more space is driven by younger buyers. Folks 50 and above are usually looking for smaller residences. Baby boomers (age 57 and above) want to drop down to 1,800 square feet, they told the NAHB. But millennials (ages 25 to 40) are searching for 2,310 square feet at the median. Moreover, they would opt for a longer commute rather than settle for a smaller house or lot.

Inside, 74% of millennials are searching for a home office, 61% for an exercise room and 45% for bedroom No. 4. Among their most sought-after features: patio, laundry room, walk-in pantry, front porch, two kitchen sinks, table space for eating in the kitchen and a separate dining room.

A large, green backyard used to be the only outdoor request, but that's not enough anymore. So architects and designers are making outdoor amenities a top priority, according to industry publication Professional Builder. Connection to the outdoors and outdoor entertaining both ranked high on the top 10 list of design drivers in a recent survey conducted by the New Home Trends Institute in collaboration with the magazine.

Consequently, people shopping the new spring models are likely to find, among other features, more roof decks, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, firepits or fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and hot tubs, if not entire swimming pools.

In most places, condominium and cooperative apartments are considered among the most affordable ownership options. But if they haven't already, buyers in some buildings may soon be finding it difficult to secure financing because of new rules regarding deferred maintenance, structural issues and underfunded reserve accounts.

According to a poll from the Community Associations Institute, 77% of condo boards and management companies queried are worried they would be exposed to liability for answering the probing questions now posed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (CAI is a 43,000-member group that advocates on behalf of the 74 million folks who live in places run by owner-controlled community associations.)

One of the questions asks if management is aware of any deficiencies related to the safety, soundness, structural integrity or habitability of their properties. Another wants to know if the project will be the target of building code violations about such deficiencies in the future.

These are fair questions, especially for current occupants and potential buyers, who should want to know their places are safe. That's why, in the aftermath of last summer's collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, which killed 98 people, Fannie and Freddie put the rules in place.

The government-sponsored enterprises not only purchase mortgages on the secondary market, but are also intended to protect lenders and investors from losing their money in a similar calamity. Many lenders work with the GSEs, but even those that don't often follow their requirements.

The rules require lenders to, among other things, ensure appraisers document deferred maintenance that may impact the safety and soundness of the unit or the overall property and its amenities. They also must review the previous six months' worth of owners association meeting minutes to determine if deferred maintenance, special assessments and inadequate reserve funding may have been discussed.

But some condo association boards and property management companies are balking, calling the rules too onerous. On the advice of counsel, some have decided not to answer the questions at all -- in effect, throwing in the towel on Fannie-Freddie financing.

Adams Stirling, one of the largest law firms in California dealing with common interest subdivisions, is advising its roughly 2,000 clients to answer the "draconian" questions as best they can -- but with an addendum that they are doing so to the best of their ability, "with no guarantee."

"We're getting hundreds of calls a day from boards, asking 'What do we do?'" partner Adrian Adams told me. "It's not like normal, where you can answer and move on. And it's impacting everybody. It's going to force people to look to alternative forms of financing," which are "not nearly as plentiful."

In the CAI survey, nearly 9 out of 10 condo management outfits fear exposure to liability for answering some questions, and a quarter said buyers have been denied funding because the questions have gone unanswered. Nearly half said lender approval has been delayed.

"They understand the intent," the CAI's Dawn Bauman told me. "But some questions are not yes-or-no questions, and condo boards usually don't have that kind of expertise. They are willing to provide the documentation, but they say lenders should make the decisions."

Even though the rules are said to be temporary, the CAI has called on Fannie and Freddie to delay their implementation for a year, saying they caught many stakeholders "by surprise."

Then there's the issue of who is going to pay for all the documentation now required to appease lenders and investors. The extra paperwork is not normally covered in condo board budgets. And the law in many places only requires sellers to disclose specific information regarding their owners association, including all official documents, covenants and restrictions and a statement of dues and assessments.

Typically, condo association charge to produce these docs, and it isn't cheap -- between $200 and $500, in most places. But in Chicago, where there are "hundreds of old buildings that are falling apart," said Don DeBat, the former real estate editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, some boards charge as much as $1,200.

It's usually the buyer who pays, adding just one more expense to an already burdensome list of closing costs. And if boards are required to produce minutes, engineering reports and so on, the fee is likely to jump significantly. "That's the elephant in the room," said DeBat.

Meanwhile, as of March 1, Fannie Mae has placed 1,034 properties on its "unavailable" list of projects for which it will not backstop buyers. About 40% of those are in Florida alone. Granted, some were on the list prior to the new rules.

"It's doubtful the company has reviewed that many in just two months," says Orest Tomaselli, the head of project reviews at CondoTek, a company that helps lenders with documentation requirements.

Granted, too, some are listed as ineligible for other reasons, such as being identified as a condo-hotel or because a single entity owns too many units. But the Peppermill at Kendale Lakes West property in Miami is verboten because of "possible structural damage to balconies." And 111 East Chestnut in Chicago is out because it sits on a parking garage where excessive concrete degradation called "spalling" has been spotted.

Tomaselli, whose staff reviews more than 2,000 properties a month, suspects that perhaps as many as 10% of all condominium buildings are "unwarrantable," meaning they are not eligible for GSE funding. Eventually, he figures, they will make it onto Fannie's "Do Not Buy" list.

He says maybe 80% to 90% of those need some work, but will be cleared in due time. But, he warns, the remaining 10% are "devastatingly behind the eight ball." At one Manhattan condo he describes as "eerily reminiscent of Surfside," the board chose to cover exposed rebar and cracking cement with steel plates rather than deal with the problems directly.

As Tomaselli sees it, the properties that find the new rules too ruthless are the ones that have failed to address structural issues and reserve accounts.

"You have to pay attention to this stuff," he said. "After all, what's the price of a life?"