Clive may be compact, but each enclave has a distinct personality—and price point. For young professionals who bike the Clive Greenbelt Trail after work, the Canyon Cove condos north of 86th offer sub-$250k entry, low dues, and a five-minute hop to Jordan Creek Mall. Growing families gravitate toward Woodlands Elementary boundaries where 1990s two-stories trade in the low $300s; inventory is thin, so NMHL’s same-day pre-qualification letter has helped multiple clients beat out conventional buyers waiving inspections.

If you need room to roam, the semi-rural lots along 160th Street west of Alice’s Road still qualify for the USDA Rural Development pilot even though you’re ten minutes to Hy-Vee corporate HQ—meaning zero-down financing on a $330k farmhouse-style build, and the 1 % guarantee fee can be rolled into the loan. On the luxury end, Westfield and Briarfield Estates feature $450–$550k executive homes; we tailor jumbo 5 % down options with no PMI for credit scores above 740.

Iowa assesses homes every two years and Clive’s rollback rate currently sits at 56 % of market value, so a $330k sale price translates to an assessed value around $185k. Multiply that by the consolidated levy—city, Polk County, school, and ag extension—and you land at roughly $4,620 annually, or $385/month in escrow. Compare that to a similarly priced home in Ankeny and you’ll save about $600 a year, a difference that can fund mortgage insurance on an FHA loan or help a self-employed borrower stay under the 43 % DTI cap.

New-construction buyers should budget for a one-year “interim” tax bill based on vacant-land value; NMHL escrows the difference so you’re not blindsided when the full assessment kicks in. And if you’re 65 or older, Iowa’s homestead credit knocks another $1,430 off your taxable value—on a Clive median home that’s roughly $140 in annual savings, something national lenders routinely miss when quoting payments.

Clive’s price point makes it fertile ground for Iowa’s best first-time buyer incentives. Start with the Iowa Finance Authority Take Credit mortgage credit certificate: it turns 30 % of your annual mortgage-interest into a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit—worth about $2,100 yearly on a $300k FHA loan. Stack that with FirstHome down-payment assistance ($7,500 forgivable after five years) and you’re effectively putting only 1 % down of your own funds.

If you’re buying a townhome in the Greenbelt Summit development, ask NMHL about the Waukee Community Foundation grant—technically the subdivision sits in Dallas County, so an extra $3,500 is available even though the mailing address is Clive. Teachers, nurses, and vets can layer the national Homes for Heroes rebate (about $2,000 back at closing) on top, making Clive one of the cheapest metros in the Midwest for public-service professionals to purchase.

Clive’s median household income of $104k means many buyers are 1099 gig-workers or own small businesses in insurance, ag-tech, or trucking. Our Bank-Statement Advantage loan uses twelve months of business deposits instead of tax returns, letting you qualify up to a $650k purchase with 10 % down and credit scores as low as 600. If medical collections dropped your score below 580, our Fresh-Start program allows up to 50 % DTI with 15 % down, and we’ll accept a letter of explanation instead of demanding debts be paid off—crucial in Clive’s fast market where you don’t have months to negotiate pay-for-deletes.

Veterans love that we waive the VA funding fee for service-connected disability, and our in-house appraisal ordering means we can schedule a VA appraisal within five business days—twice as fast as most national call centers. For credit-challenged vets we also have a VA-Fresh hybrid: if the VA’s automated system returns a Refer/Eligible, we manually underwrite to the same 580 score threshold, something few mortgage lenders in Clive can advertise.

Most of Clive feeds into the West Des Moines Community School District (WDMCS), perennially ranked in Iowa’s top ten for ACT scores and college readiness. Homes zoned for Valley High School command a 6–8 % premium over those in the smaller Clive Elementary attendance island, and resale speeds average 11 days faster. From a lending standpoint, that premium translates into lower loan-to-value ratios, reducing PMI duration on conventional 3 % down loans and giving you automatic equity once the appraisal reflects the school boundary premium.

If you’re child-free, don’t overlook the pocket west of 128th that feeds into Waukee Northwest; it’s technically Waukee schools but still carries a Clive address. Homes there run about $20k cheaper, letting you put the savings toward a 15-year conventional term and still finish with payments under the 30-year FHA you’d need in pricier Waukee proper.

Whether you’re relocating from Cedar Rapids and need to nail down a rate before your Des Moines job transfer, or you’re tired of renting off 100th and want to capitalize on Clive’s stable appreciation, the next step is simple. Upload your last 30 days of paystubs or two months of business bank statements through our NMHL QuickApply portal—no need for W-2s if you’re self-employed—and you’ll have a detailed Clive payment breakdown, including exact property-tax, HOA, and insurance estimates for the neighborhoods you like.

We’ll issue a pre-approval letter formatted for Iowa Realtors with the purchase address left blank so you can move the moment the right home hits the MLS. With local underwriting ten minutes away on 62nd Street, you’ll close faster than cash-heavy investors and still keep the low-down-payment flexibility you need. Tap the Apply Now button or call our Clive specialists at 515-555-LOAN—let’s get you from the Greenbelt Trail to your own front door.