StartSmart or Move-Up: The Rate Against the Rules
Program and regulatory figures verified October 6, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
The trade is straightforward once it is laid out: StartSmart prices better, Move-Up qualifies more people. Most Arkansas files are decided by which gate you can clear.
Side by side
| StartSmart | Move-Up | |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | IRS tax-exempt mortgage revenue bond | Conventional and government |
| Rate | ADFA: approximately 1% below market | Market, subject to change |
| First-time buyer | Required — unless targeted county or veteran | Not required |
| Income limit | By county and household size | $142,000 statewide |
| Price cap | $500,000 | Arkansas conforming loan limit |
| Loan types | FHA, VA, RD, Freddie HFA Advantage | FHA, VA, Conventional, RD |
| Term | 30-year fixed, no prepayment penalty | 30-year fixed, no prepayment penalty |
| Credit | 640 | 640 |
★ The actual trade
StartSmart is cheaper money. ADFA characterises it as roughly 1% below market, which over a 30-year loan is not a small difference. The cost of that pricing is bond rules: first-time buyer status, a county income limit, and a $500,000 ceiling.
Move-Up removes the rules. No first-time requirement at all, one income cap for the whole state, and a higher price ceiling. What it does not carry is the bond pricing.
So: take StartSmart if you can clear its gates, and Move-Up if you cannot. That is genuinely the whole decision for most Arkansas buyers.
★ The income limits are shaped very differently
This is the part that catches people. StartSmart's limits run by county, from $85,320 in many counties up to $106,900 in Benton for a household of one or two. Move-Up uses a single statewide figure of $142,000.
The gap between those is wide. A household earning $120,000 is over every StartSmart county limit in the state and comfortably under Move-Up's cap. For that buyer there is no choice to make — Move-Up is the only ADFA route, and the assistance still pairs with it.
The 75-county StartSmart table.
Before assuming you fail the first-time test
StartSmart's first-time rule has two published exits, and either one puts bond pricing back on the table:
- Veterans and spouses of veterans, anywhere in Arkansas.
- Thirty named counties, for anyone.
Check both before settling for Move-Up. A repeat buyer in White County, or a veteran anywhere in the state, may be eligible for financing they have been told is not available to them.
The assistance is the same either way
$1,000 to $15,000, as a second mortgage matching the first over a 10-year term, pairing with both programmes. Note what "matching the first" means here: on StartSmart the second matches the lower bond rate, so the cheaper first mortgage makes the assistance cheaper too. How the second works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ADFA StartSmart and Move-Up?
StartSmart is funded by tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds, which ADFA says prices approximately 1% below market, but requires a first-time homebuyer, uses county income limits and caps the purchase price at $500,000. Move-Up has no first-time requirement, a single statewide income cap of $142,000 and a conforming-limit price cap, but no bond pricing.What is the income limit for ADFA Move-Up?
$142,000 of qualifying income, as a single statewide figure rather than a county-by-county limit. StartSmart by contrast runs by county and household size, from $85,320 in many counties up to $106,900 in Benton County for one to two members.Can I use ADFA down payment assistance with either program?
Yes. The $1,000 to $15,000 assistance pairs with both StartSmart and Move-Up. Because the second mortgage matches the first mortgage's rate, pairing it with StartSmart's lower bond rate also makes the assistance itself cheaper.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not tax or legal guidance. ADFA program terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against ADFA's published documents. ADFA down payment assistance is a second mortgage matching the first mortgage over a 10-year term, which means it carries a monthly payment; it is not a grant. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.