Home Ownership Program - Opening in 2025
We believe that everyone should have a safe, affordable place to call home. We know and have seen the data that homeownership helps people thrive physically, mentally and financially.
Habitat’s path to homeownership is a long-term partnership and commitment between Habitat for Humanity of Culpeper County and its partner families. The application process takes an average of three to four months, and the typical timeframe between approval for homeownership and purchase of a home is 18 months to two years.
But while it takes hard work, time and dedication, the benefits are clear:
Affordability - Your monthly mortgage payments are kept affordable.
Financial Coaching - Free financial coaching focuses on your budget, helps you pay down debt, understand credit, and save for the future.
Training – Our homebuyer education courses help prepare you for the responsibilities of homeownership.
Post-purchase support - Habitat provides resources for you after you purchase your home. This support includes things like home maintenance advice, helping you connect with your local community and providing guidance with finances after buying your home.
Program Requirements
Are you eligible to apply for Habitat for Humanity's partnership program?
Applicants are:
1. In need of better housing
Potential homebuyers may be experiencing problems with their current neighborhood such as environmental hazards or live in poorly built, unhealthy, damaged or inadequate housing. Alternatively, they may be experiencing homelessness or housing instability, pay rent that is unaffordable or live in overcrowded conditions.
2. Willing to partner with Habitat
Our homebuyers put in hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” (250 per adult) building their own homes or those of their neighbors. Individuals with disabilities or otherwise unable to work at job sites are offered other volunteer opportunities to fulfill these requirements. Sweat equity hours may also include meetings or classes in personal finances, home maintenance, community conversations and other activities that help ensure long-term stability and success.
3. Able to pay (ability to pay)
In order to be able to pay an affordable mortgage, Maintain Annual Gross Income between 30% – 60% for your county of the area median income (see side chart) from initial intake to loan application.
In order to partner with us, you must meet the following preliminary criteria:
- You must be a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States.
- You must have lived or worked in our county for at least 12 months. Affiliates for other vicinities can be found at ( Link: habitat.org.)
- Your yearly income must fall within our income guidelines, which are adjusted for family size (refer to Income Table on the Selection Criteria page). Income includes wages, Social Security, disability, SSI, TANF and child support.
- You must have one year of continuous income.
- You must have a reasonably good credit history. It must be at least two years since you discharged any bankruptcies, and you must be making payments on your debts.
- You must have a need for housing because your current housing is unaffordable, unsafe, or overcrowded.
- You must partner with Habitat for Humanity and contribute "sweat equity," helping to build your home as well as other families' homes, and attend a minimum of 10 educational workshops. All families must complete a total of 250 hours.
