Can I afford a Habitat house?
There are three things you must have to qualify for a Habitat house:
- The need for simple, decent, affordable housing
- The ability to pay for that housing
- A willingness to partner with Habitat
The first thing to determine is applicant income. In order to be eligible to apply for Habitat housing, the applicant’s income must be less than 50 percent of the median family income for Hartford County; this amount varies according to the size of the family.
Our Home Ownership Guide indicates the maximum income. For example, the highest income level for a family of four people in 2008 is $40,550. If your household income is less than that amount, you should consider applying. If your income is greater than that amount, you are not eligible to apply.
In reviewing an application, Habitat looks at both income and debt. We calculate income from the application, pay stubs, and income tax returns. Debt is calculated primarily from the credit report.
Debt includes car payments, loan payments, credit card payments, utility repayment plans, and contractual payments. It will also include unpaid charge-offs.
If your expenses for housing and debt are less than 41 percent of gross income, you may be financially qualified for a Habitat house. “Financially qualified” means that you’re able to pay for the house itself, for property taxes and property insurance, for a maintenance reserve... and meet your other monthly obligations.
In This Section
Meet Some of Our Families
Get Involved
How To Apply
Interested in being a
homeowner?
To learn more about Habitat for Humanity, plan to join us at our next Applicant Information Meeting!
Date: Saturday,
September 17, 2011
at 8:45 a.m.
Place: The Village for Families and Children, 331 Wethersfield Ave
Hartford, CT 06114
Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity - a proud Equal Opportunity Employer.