Home Ownership

APPLY FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP

WEST ORANGE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY partners with families whose income levels are not high enough to qualify for other homeownership programs. We partner with hard-working, low-income families and the community to build safe, decent homes with affordable mortgages. At the same time, we prepare our Habitat families to be successful, long-term homeowners.

If you live or work in Central Florida and are interested in homeownership, please review the criteria on this page to learn more about the program and if it’s right for you.

Review qualifications below:

Need for Housing

You are unable to qualify for homeownership through other conventional means
Your current housing is:
- Inadequate: Lack of adequate housing may include problems with the present structure such as: water; electrical or sewage service systems; heating system; hazardous; poorly maintained (substandard); or failure to meet city property maintenance standards.
- Overcrowded: Overcrowded conditions take into consideration the make-up and size of your household compared to the number of bedrooms in your home.
- Transitional: Transitional housing includes living with family members or a friend or other temporary housing arrangements.
- Government Subsidized: Your current household rental costs are subsidized by housing programs such as Section 8 or other Low Rent Programs.
- Unaffordable: Unaffordable housing exists if the current monthly rent you pay is greater than 30% of your monthly household income.

Willingness to Partner

If you are approved by West Orange Habitat as a prospective homeowner partner you must:

Live in the home provided by West Orange Habitat and timely pay an affordable, no-interest mortgage.

Contribute 200 sweat equity hours for an individual, and 400 sweat equity hours for 2 adults (or married couple) in the construction of your home or others
Successfully complete Homeowner Education Workshops provided by West Orange Habitat.

Ability repay no-interest mortgage

YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP IF:

You have lived or worked in West Orange County for at least the last 12 months.

You have had the same job or source of verifiable income for at least the last 6 months

You and your family will be considered if your total income is within the area median income for Orange County as set by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The income eligibility criteria vary based on family size and are updated annually. For 2023, the allowable range of total income is represented in the chart below:

A prospective homeowner partner must be able pass a background and credit check and demonstrate credit worthiness (no more than $2000 in collections - not counting medical debt) in accordance with West Orange Habitat requirements. Credit score must be at least a 620.