The FHA program itself is structured towards first time home buyers such as yourself.

NC has a grant program.

In order to pull credit you have be the borrower or go through certification process that involves having an office, a locked cabinet etc etc...

Many times the "make or break" of the this program is how responsive (i.e., overworked) the local Housing Authority assigned to your particular program is.Start with checking them out. 

They have a good online program.  

I have a feeling it's a sale pitch to an advance program they have. $40 only covers the cost to lease the space.

Tom Krol's interview on BiggerPockets was the first one I watched, so bc he was "endorsed" by BP who is against get rich quick schemes and expensive gurus I am wondering if any of you have been mentored by his program? 

There are people who claim these locks will "lose" their programming, but I've never had it happen & it's not like they're expensive if you had to actually toss one anyway.  

Also the US Post Office has a program called Every Door Direct that lets you "carpet bomb" neighborhoods.  

I have been a huge proponent of the Dave Ramsey program and doing it myself.