Homeownership Program Overview
Habitat for Humanity of Pitt County empowers people who qualify to build and buy their own home.
In order to qualify for Habitat for Humanity of Pitt County’s Homebuyer program, an applicant must:
- demonstrate a need for housing
- demonstrate a history of stable employment and/or income
- have lived or worked in the Pitt County for the last 12 months
- be willing to participate in Homeownership Classes
- be willing to complete Volunteer Hours/Sweat Equity
- meet family income and debt requirements
Applicants must fall between 30% and 80% on HUD’s Area Median Income guidelines.
Need for Housing
Habitat’s vision is a world where everyone has a safe, affordable place to live. The need for housing looks different for everyone. When it comes to Habitat’s Homebuyer program, we want to make sure you are ready to own your own home.
A need for housing can be illustrated by:
- Living in overcrowded or substandard housing
- Being a resident of public housing, housing assistance program, or renting a room from a friend or family member
- Paying more than 30% of your gross monthly income (pre-tax) on rent
- Does not own a home at the time of application
- Unable to qualify for a conventional mortgage
Ability to pay
The ability for your family to afford your mortgage is essential to qualifying for a Habitat home. We want you to thrive and flourish in your new home and providing you an unaffordable mortgage would be bad for your family.
For those reasons, to financially qualify for the Homebuyer program:
- Income must be stable and fall between 30-80% of HUD Area Median Income (based on family size)
- Two years of continuous employment (temporary/contract/unemployment not accepted)
- Minimal amount of delinquent debt; delinquent debt is defined as anything that is reported as Past Due, Collections, Judgements, Liens or Repossessions
- Cannot have declared bankruptcy within two years of applying
- Must meet our minimum Housing Ratio
- Must meet our minimum Debt-to-Income/Cost Burden Ratio
We encourage all applicants to pull their FREE credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com prior to applying, so you are aware of your debts and what may be barriers to becoming pre-approved for the program.
Willingness to Partner
Habitat families agree to perform Volunteer/Sweat Equity Hours and complete 9 weeks of Homeownership Workshops
That willingness to partner also entails:
- Living and/or working in Pitt County for at least the last 12 months
- Legal residence in the U.S., proven by a Permanent Resident Card, Naturalization Document or Birth Certificate