Homeownership Program

Habitat Detroit provides you with the coaching, education and support to be successful in your home buying journey. Your options may include buying a newly built home or a rehabbed house by Habitat.

Homeownership Program Qualifications

Questions?

Please visit our FAQ Section (below) to learn more about Program Eligibility, the Application Process, and the Homebuying Process, or call us at (313)-521-6691

Program Eligibility

  • In order to be eligible for our homebuyer program, you must be a first-time homebuyer.

  • No, Single individuals can purchase a Habitat home on their own or with another adults. All applicants MUST live full-time in the home and be at least 18 years old.

  • Income requirements are based on the Area Median Income (AMI) for Wayne County. Eligibility requires an income between 30% and 80% of the AMI. Income guidelines can be found here.

  • A pre-qualification is a statement from a mortgage lender that indicates how much you can afford based on your current income, debt/income ratio, credit score, and down payment contribution.

    A pre-qualification can be secured from your current banking institution or the lender of your choosing. You can also work with one of our partner lenders to secure your pre-qualification here.

  • Lenders will typically want to see a credit score of at least 550, and often times a score above 620.

    If your credit score is not high enough you can contact us for referrals to partner agencies than can assist with financial counseling.

  • If you were unable to secure a mortgage pre-qualification at this time we can provide you with referrals to partner agencies who can assist you with financial counseling.

    Different lenders do have different requirements so we encourage you to apply through several different lenders of your choosing.

  • Habitat requires our partner homebuyers to have a demonstrated need for housing, ability to afford a mortgage, and a willingness to partner through 300 hours of sweat equity and attendance of homebuyer readiness classes.

Application Process

  • Once you have submitted a pre-qualification you will hear from a member of our homeownership program team regarding your next steps. Due to application volume, please give up to 5 business days to hear back. If you are not contacted you can reach out to us at [email protected] or call (313)-521-6691 to speak with a staff member.

    If your pre-qualification meets our current limit you will be sent the full program application and a list of the financial documents needed to move forward.

  • If you are unable to complete the full application on your own a member of our team can assist you. Please call (313)-521-6691 to schedule an appointment to complete the full application.

  • Generally the financial documents we request as part of reviewing an individual’s financial situation and ability to pay a mortgage include:

    • Most recent 2 months of income
    • Most recent two months of bank statements
    • Past 2 years of w-2’s and state and federal tax returns
    • Any statements of monthly fixed income (child support, social security etc)
  • Applicants are more than welcome to re-apply if they previously were not eligible for the program and feel they would now be able to qualify! Please start with the initial step on completing the online intake form so we have your most up-to-date contact and situation information and secure a new mortgage prequalification even if you previously had one.

Home Buying Process

  • Time spent in the program varies depending on a number of factors. Availability of a home that meets each homebuyers needs in terms of size, location, affordability etc. all play a role. Additionally, 300 hours of sweat equity must be completed and our homebuyers are required to save towards their down payment. One can anticipate anywhere being in the program anywhere between 6 months and 18 months due to this wide variety of factors.

  • Sweat equity is hands-on time that our future homeowners put into their home or other Habitat homes. Sweat equity builds a homeowners community through partnership with the Habitat affiliate and volunteers, as well as a sense of pride and the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills surrounding home maintenance.

    A total of 150 sweat equity hours are required by each partner homeowner household, and unwillingness to participate is means for disqualification from the program.

  • Affordable housing costs 30% or less of one’s monthly income. As such, the cost of our homes and their monthly mortgage varies depending on each homebuyer’s needs and affordability.

  • Habitat for Humanity Detroit serves the communities of Wayne County and the City of Detroit. We build and renovate homes in many different areas of the county and work with homebuyers to secure the purchase of a home that meets the needs of that individual homebuyer and their family.

  • Habitat homes are available to homebuyers fully accepted to the homeownership program that are mortgage ready. Eligibility for homes is dependent on household size, income and savings and as such varies for each individual homebuyer.

Equal Housing Opportunity Statement:
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of the U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation.  We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

Equal Housing Opportunity Statement:
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of the U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation.  We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

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