If you meet the following criteria, you are eligible to apply for our Homeownership Program.
Eligibility
- Steady income – You need a steady income to meet your mortgage payments, as well as provide for utilities (heat, electric, water, refuse, etc.), homeowners insurance, taxes and necessary maintenance. We serve families whose combined gross annual income falls between 50-70% of the Annual Median Income for Ulster County.
- Need – You need to currently live in housing which is substandard or a severe cost burden. This could mean overcrowding or unsafe conditions, inadequate heat or sanitary conditions, or severe structural problems. It could also mean that more than 30% of your income goes to housing. In this case, you might qualify even if your current housing is not considered substandard.
- Sweat Equity – You must be willing to work in partnership with us by investing 200-400 volunteer hours on Habitat projects (depending on family size). This constitutes your “sweat equity” in your home. 50% of the hours must be completed by the applicant(s) on the construction site. The remaining 50% can be completed by family and friends as well as the applicant(s) and can take on many forms including additional construction hours, volunteering in our ReStore, attending first time homebuyer education classes, and other volunteer activities offered by Ulster Habitat.
- Residency – You have to have been a resident of, or be employed in, Ulster County for at least 1 year.
- Credit – If you meet the above qualifications for partnership, we will refer you to a local lender to make an application for an affordable mortgage, where they will do a credit check to determine mortgage readiness.
If you think that you are a candidate for Habitat Partnership, please visit our Application page.