A mother and her young son dancing in an empty living room in their new Habitat home.

Qualifications for a Habitat homeowner

Are you or someone you know interested in Habitat homeownership? Check out our qualifications below to learn more about how homeowners are selected.

At Habitat, we know that the stability of a decent, affordable home empowers families to climb higher. To make homeownership more accessible, homebuyers partner with Habitat to help build their home alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.

The selection and application process for homebuyers is managed at the local level, through hundreds of locations across the U.S. In addition to meeting certain income requirements, applicants must be in need of affordable housing, willing to partner with Habitat and able to pay an affordable mortgage.

Habitat follows a nondiscriminatory policy in line with the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Race, sex, color, national origin, religion, familial status, age, marital status, disability and income from public assistance are not a factor in choosing homeowners.

Questions about the homeownership process in your area? Reach out to your local Habitat affiliate or call 1-800-422-4828 (1-800-HABITAT).

Eligible homebuyers must be:

An icon of a house with a crack down the middle.

In need of safe, affordable housing

What this need looks like will vary from community to community, but applicants may be dealing with substandard housing that is poorly built, damaged or inadequate; rent or mortgage that’s greater than 30% of their gross monthly income; unhealthy living conditions such as homes with mold and asthma triggers; or a home that is inaccessible for their disabilities.

An icon of stacked gold coins.

 

Low- to moderate-income

For U.S. applicants, household income must not exceed 60% of the area median income, which is defined annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. You can find the median income of your area and for your family size using the query tool from HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research.

An icon of a hand holding a hammer.

Willing to partner with Habitat

Once selected, homebuyers must partner with Habitat throughout the process. This partnership includes performing “sweat equity,” or helping to build their own home or the homes of others in our homeownership program. Sweat equity can also include taking homeownership classes or performing volunteer work in a Habitat ReStore.

Homebuyers also participate in homeowner education classes, which provide a mix of hands-on and classroom learning. The courses cover home maintenance and repairs as well as saving, managing a mortgage and maintaining personal finances. Each class is crafted to help empower participants to be successful homeowners.

An icon of hand holding a house with a dollar sign on it.


 

Able and willing to pay an affordable mortgage

Habitat ensures that the monthly mortgage payments do not exceed 30% of the homebuyer’s gross monthly income at closing. Mortgage payments are cycled back into the community to help build additional Habitat houses.

Ready to apply?

Contact your local Habitat affiliate to learn more!

Get started
  • Applicant filling out form

    Solicitar una vivienda Hábitat

    Conozca el proceso de propiedad de vivienda de Hábitat y las calificaciones para la selección de familias. Habitat no regala casas; en cambio, los futuros propietarios se asocian con afiliados y voluntarios locales para construir o rehabilitar una casa y pagar una hipoteca asequible.

    Leer más
  • Futuros propietarios levantan paneles de yeso.

    ¿Qué es la “ayuda mutua”?

    Ayuda mutua es un término que se utiliza a menudo cuando se habla del proceso de creación o construcción. Se trata de hacer el trabajo (el trabajo duro) para dar vida a una idea.

    Leer más