County seatMarietta
People living here793,345
Help availableGeorgia Dream PEN
What to know about Cobb
Cobb covers Mableton, Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw and Acworth on Atlanta's northwest side. Marietta is the county seat. It sits in the metro Atlanta tier, so its limits are the highest Georgia Dream allows.
The Cobb County School District serves most of the county, while Marietta City Schools runs its own system inside the city. Staff in either one qualify. So do employees of the Cobb County Police Department, Cobb County Sheriff's Office, Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services and Marietta Police Department.
PEN is a 0% second mortgage. If you later sell your Smyrna townhome or refinance into a lower rate, the full PEN balance is paid off at that time.
The Cobb limits
Household of 1 or 2$137,555
Household of 3 or more$158,188
Highest home price$625,000
Cobb buyers can have up to $137,555 in income for 1-2 people or $158,188 for 3+, and pay up to $625,000. Compare with every county's limits, or try a budget before you shop.
More help that is local to Cobb
Some of these can sit alongside the state program, and some cannot. Your lender sorts out which pairings are allowed before anything is signed.
Cobb County
- For
- Any qualified buyer purchasing anywhere in Cobb County
- Amount
- Grant of 1% or 2% of the note amount (0% option with lower rate)
- Kind
- Grant, nothing to repay
- Income cap
- $159,880 (FHA, VA, Freddie Mac HFA Advantage above 80% AMI); $90,800 (HFA Advantage at or below 80% AMI) - effective May 2025
- Price cap
- No price limit stated; max loan $688,850 FHA / $806,500 VA and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage
- First-time buyers only?
- No
- Also required
- 30-year fixed FHA/VA/Freddie Mac HFA Advantage first mortgage via participating lender; min FICO 640-680 by loan type, DTI 45-50%; occupy within 60 days; homebuyer education for HFA Advantage; non-repayable grant with no lien
Latest guide revised Aug 27, 2025. Consumer pages: cobbcounty.org and georgiabuyerdpa.com/cobb. Employee add-ons listed under occupation_specific.
Last checked November 2026 · our sources
Read our full write-upCheck whether I fitBrowse all Georgia programs
Homebuyer classes near Cobb
Nearly every assistance program asks you to finish a homebuyer class before you close. It is usually friendlier than people expect. Here are HUD-approved agencies near Cobb County that teach the class or meet with buyers one on one:
| Agency | City | How far | What they offer | Languages | How you meet |
|---|
| Operation Hope, Inc | Atlanta | 16 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English, Spanish | Face to Face, Phone, Internet |
| Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc | Atlanta | 17 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English | Phone |
| Resources for Residents and Communities of Georgia, Inc. | Atlanta | 18 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English | Phone |
| Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc. | Atlanta | 19 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English | Face to Face, Phone, Internet |
| D&E, A Housing & Economic Empowerment Center, Inc. (D&E Group) | East Point | 20 mi | homebuyer education class, pre-purchase counseling | English | Face to Face, Phone, Internet |
From HUD's list of housing counseling agencies. Programs differ on which classes they accept.
Which class will count for you? Ask the lender. Someone who works with Georgia programs knows which class your program takes, and can begin your pre-approval during the same conversation.
Find me a lender
Local employers whose staff may qualify
A few of the larger ones:
- Cobb County School District
- Marietta City Schools
- Cobb County Police Department
- Cobb County Sheriff's Office
- Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services
- Marietta Police Department
Marietta City Schools is separate from the Cobb County School District, but staff in both qualify as educators. See the full list of jobs.
Questions from Cobb buyers
Do Marietta City Schools employees qualify?
Yes. Marietta City Schools is an accredited school board, so all of its employees count.
Can I refinance later?
Yes, but refinancing the first mortgage triggers repayment of the full PEN balance.
Does Cobb have a separate program?
This guide covers the statewide Georgia Dream PEN program. A lender can tell you about any local help that can be layered in.
Nearby counties: Fulton Gwinnett DeKalb Chatham Cherokee Clayton Forsyth Henry See them all
