Home Ownership Program
We are currently not accepting applications at this time. If you would like to be notified of the next application cycle, please click the link below.
Applying for a Habitat Home
Before you apply for a Habitat Home, answer these 6 questions.
To qualify for our homeownership program you must be able to answer “YES” to ALL 6 of these questions!
If any answer is “NO”, STOP, you do NOTqualify for our program.
Are you 18 years old?
Are you an American citizen or permanent resident right now?
Have you lived in the City of Harrisonburg or Rockingham County for the past 12 months?
Do you have income to pay a mortgage payment?
Will you allow Habitat to do a credit check on you?
Will you partner with Habitat to build your home?
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Initial Qualifications
To begin the application process applicants must meet initial qualifications to apply. When you apply, we will ask you if you meet the following initial criteria:
Permanent Resident or Citizen of the United States at the time of application
Resident living in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County for at least one year at the time of application
Willing to submit to a credit check
Willing to partner with Habitat to work on your home
Have a source of Income
Qualification Process
The first step is to complete an Authorization to Release Information form which will allow Habitat to obtain your credit report. The minimum credit score required is 620.
After this step, you will complete a more thorough application which is again reviewed by Homeowner Services.
If you are chosen to move to the next step in the approval process, a Family Selection Committee member will schedule a home visit to assess your current need for safe, decent, and affordable housing.
If you meet all the qualifications and have the greatest need for qualifying families your application will be recommended to the Board of Directors for approval.
Once a family becomes a Habitat partner family, they help Habitat construct a simple, sustainable, energy-efficient home. The house is built with the help of volunteer labor under trained supervision. Your house will be financed by a bank that Central Valley Habitat partners with for affordable mortgage loans.
“Sweat Equity”
“Sweat Equity” is required to become a Habitat homeowner. This means working with volunteers on the construction of your house and other prospective Habitat homeowner houses.
You must work 400 hours if your family has two adult applicants, or 200 hours if your family has a single adult applicant.
Family and friends may contribute up to 30% (120 hours of your 400 or 60 hours of your 200 hours) of required sweat equity hours.
Hours can be earned in various ways: Habitat office work, special events, homeowner education classes, and helping construct your house and other Habitat houses.
Mortgages for Habitat Homes
Central Valley Habitat partners with local banks to obtain mortgage loans for families.
Central Valley Habitat does not earn a profit from mortgages.
You need to save money for a small down payment and/or closing costs.
Central Valley Habitat will also apply for grants to help keep the mortgage loan amount as low as possible. (Some of the grants provide funds for down payment and/or closing costs.)
You will be required to help build your house and help build houses for others.
You will be required to attend homeowner education courses.
Frequently Asked Questions
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On a publicized application day come to the Central Valley Habitat office at 205 Dry River Rd., Bridgewater, VA 22812, OR visit https://www.centralvalleyhabitat.org. You will sign a Release of Information Authorization form that allows Habitat to run your credit report, a criminal background check, and a Sex Offender Registry Check on all adults who will live in the Habitat home, if the applicant(s) are approved.
ALL ADULTS 18 or older MUST sign a Release form, even if they are not applying to purchase the home. Habitat will review the report for your financial history (payment history, credit, collections, bankruptcy, etc.) and will determine if you are ready to approach homeownership. If so, you will be invited to complete a full application and provide all required documentation. If you are denied, you will be given a reason why and are eligible to come back and apply again after 1 year. -
Once you are approved for a partnership with Habitat you will begin to work your sweat equity hours. You need 400 hours if you have a 2-adult home and 200 hours if you have a single-adult home. Sweat equity is volunteer hours worked in our ReStore, in the Habitat office in Bridgewater, on Habitat construction sites (at your home and the homes of others), Homeowner Education classes (that are mandatory), and other opportunities to volunteer with Habitat or within the community. During the time your home is being constructed, you are making sure to complete the sweat equity requirement and Homeowner Education classes. After construction is complete Habitat will sell you the home at a lower price than the house is valued. Habitat partners with a bank that will lend you the money to purchase the home. The money from your purchase helps Habitat buy more land and build more homes, so more families have a decent, safe, affordable place to live. You will sign legal documents making you the homeowner. Mortgages are for a term of 30 years. You take on full responsibility for the home, just like traditional homeowners.
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Total household income (before taxes) is limited to less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI)** [HUD 2025 AMI: $104,200] for Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg, depending on the size of your household. [1-person-household can earn up to $54,000, 2-person-household can earn up to $62,250, 3-person-household can earn up to $70,050, and 4-person-household can earn up to $77,800, for example.
NOTE: Income is only one qualification for the Homeownership program. These calculations are just to give you an idea of HUD Income Limits. **Disclaimer: Calculations do not assure acceptance into Habitat's Homeownership program.] -
Yes you can earn too much income for the program. The program was specifically established to help low-income, working families achieve homeownership. The income limits are established by HUD (US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development), not by Habitat.
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Yes, a family can be a single individual.
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Habitat construction staff and long-term construction volunteers work with families to assign them to tasks they are comfortable performing and they also provide instruction to family members learning a new task. Habitat takes into consideration the reasonable abilities of family members, and offers alternatives when necessary.
Have Questions? We’re Here to Help
Reach out to our Manager of Homeowner Services, Ann Toliver below or give us a call at 540-307-9797
Our Impact
