Apply For A Home
If you are interested in applying for a Habitat home, please read the following information and attend an upcoming application meeting. You can find the times and locations for upcoming meetings on our Calendar of Events.
In order to qualify for a Habitat home, you must be a legal resident of the United States and meet these four basic criteria:
- have a need for a Habitat home
- have the ability to pay the mortgage
- have the willingness to partner with our organization
- have lived and worked in Metro Atlanta for at least one year prior to applying
Your need for a Habitat home can be based on a number of factors such as the percentage of your income you currently spend on housing, the current physical condition of your residence, or the number of people living in your home compared to the number of bedrooms.
Your ability to pay the mortgage on the home is determined by your yearly income. You must have maintained continuous income for at least one year, and you must be between 25% and 60% of the median income in our area. Please reference the chart below to determine if you fit into our income guidelines:
| HUD Guidelines | ||
| Family Size | 25% Median | 60% Median |
| One | $12,450 | $29,900 |
| Two | $14,250 | $34,200 |
| Three | $16,025 | $38,400 |
| Four | $17,800 | $42,700 |
| Five | $19,225 | $46,100 |
| Six | $20,650 | $49,600 |
| Seven | $22,075 | $53,000 |
| Eight | $23,500 | $56,400 |
If you are approved for a home, you must make a $100 down payment upon approval. You must make a $100 payment each month thereafter until the down payment amount totals $1,000.
Your willingness to partner with our organization means you agree to complete required volunteer time, called ‘sweat equity’, with our organization. You and your family and friends must complete a total of 300 sweat equity hours. Fifty of the 300 hours must be on your own home. You are also required to attend 10 education classes on topics related to homeownership.
If you meet these basic criteria and would like to apply for a Habitat home, the first step is to attend an application meeting in one of our three areas. Please apply in the area in which you would like to live. You must bring photo identification to the meeting in order to receive an application. If you return your application to the appropriate office by the deadline, you will go through further screening before being approved for a home. Not all qualified applicants will be approved for a home. If you meet all of our criteria but are not approved for a home, we encourage you to try again. For times and locations of upcoming application meetings, please view our Calendar of Events.
