Homebuyer Program

In order to qualify for Habitat Charlotte Region’s Homebuyer program, an applicant must demonstrate a need for housing, a willingness to partner, and the ability to pay a monthly mortgage. Familiarizing yourself with the program’s requirements and qualifications now can help make you a more qualified candidate in the future and prepare you for your Pathways and Partners experience.

Need for Housing

Habitat Charlotte Region’s vision is a world where everyone has a safe, affordable place to live and the need for housing looks different for everyone.

Living in overcrowded or substandard housing; overcrowded is defined as more than 2 children sharing a room, 2 children of the same gender sharing a room, children sharing a room with adults, and/or multiple adults sharing a room
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
Your median credit score is less than 650

Ability to Pay

The ability of 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 for years to come.

To financially qualify for the Homebuyer program:

Income must be stable, and applicants must have a minimum annual income of $40,000 and a maximum of 80% on HUD’s Area Median Income guidelines. Click here to view HUD income charts for Iredell or Mecklenburg Counties.
Two years of continuous employment; you must be at your current job for one year OR at least three months if you left your previous job for better pay or benefits.
No more than $1,200 delinquent debt (past due accounts, collections, judgments, liens, and/or repossessions) at the time of application
No more than $15,000 in medical collections
No more than $1,000 in outstanding debt (revolving credit, lines of credit, or unsecured debts/loans). This calculation does not include Secured Loans such as Student Loans or Auto Loans.
Any bankruptcy must have been discharged for at least two years at the time of application.
Must meet our minimum Debt-to-Income Requirement that allows you to afford all monthly debts with more than 12 months of payments remaining, along with an estimated mortgage payment.

We encourage all applicants to pull their FREE credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com before applying so you are aware of your debts and what may be barriers to becoming pre-approved for the program.

Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region service area

Willingness to Partner

Purchasing a home through Habitat Charlotte Region does not require the same down payment that a mortgage on the open market typically does. Instead of a down payment, Habitat families agree to partner with us by:

Performing 150-250 Homeowner-in-Process (HIP) Volunteer hours, including education hours, construction hours, and community engagement opportunities.
Living and/or working in Charlotte, Pineville, Mooresville, Troutman, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Statesville, or anywhere else in our service area for at least the last 12 months
Committing to a drug-free community

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of requirements and are subject to change upon board approval.

Application Process

Once you have completed your Pathway, you will be invited to apply for one of our homeownership opportunities. Along with being aware of the above requirements, you can also prepare by collecting documents to make the process go as quickly as possible. Click here to download a checklist of what you will need.

Download Document Checklist

ready to get started?

Visit our Pathways and Partners page to learn more.

If you have any questions about these requirements and qualifications, please email hbapplications@habitatCLTregion.org.

Pathways and Partners