There's no place like home

The path to own

Thomasville-Thomas County Habitat for Humanity builds homes with people in our community and sells the houses at no profit and no interest to households who demonstrate financial responsibility and need. Our program also prepares partner families to be successful homeowners.

Step 1 criteria

You must

Have a housing need.

For example, are you living in overcrowded conditions, paying a very high percentage of your income for rent (over 30%), unsafe, unsanitary conditions, substandard housing with a leaky roof, poor heating or lacking proper plumbing?

Have lived or worked in Thomasville or Thomas County for at least one year.

Have one year of steady, reliable income.

Have good credit.

We don’t require perfect credit, but we consider families who demonstrate the ability to make regular payments on their bills.

Fall within the income guidelines.

Check out the chart to the right to see if you fall within the parameters.

Need more screening information?

Click the button below.

HOMEOWNER SCREENING PROCESS

FAQs

Earning sweat equity

Sweat equity is an exciting cornerstone to the Habitat program. Hours can be earned by volunteering on our construction sites, in the Habitat office, and at Habitat’s ReStore.

How long does the program take?

The length of time it takes to complete the program varies and is really dependent on how quickly you can meet your requirements. On average, homeowner candidates take one year to complete our program. Some candidates have done it in half that time, and others have taken two or more years. To keep you on track, you are required to put in a minimum number of hours each month and attend at least two classes each quarter.

How much will my mortgage payments be?

The cost of your mortgage payments will depend on the value of the land and the size of the home. This cost includes property taxes and homeowners’ insurance.

What makes a Thomasville Habitat home affordable?

Because of volunteer labor and donations from organizations and individuals, Habitat homes are sold to homeowners at no profit. Also, they are financed with a zero-interest, 25- to 35-year mortgage.

What’s the impact of a 0% interest mortgage?

The traditional 30 year mortgage (left) has a 5% interest rate. For a $175,000 mortgage a homeowner will pay an estimated $163,197.62 in interest payments alone over the term of the loan for a total loan amount of $338,197.62! Habitat homeowners receive a 0% interest loan which saves $163,000 in interest payments over the life of the loan and makes the monthly payments affordable. Take a look at the chart below to see the difference in a zero-interest loan.

Step 2 pre-qualify

Prequalification takes only a few minutes. You can fill out the online form (button below) or stop be our office at 125 Lester St. in Thomasville. If you successfully prequalify, you’ll receive a call and the process will move to Step 3. If for some reason you do not prequalify, we encourage you to address the conflicting issues and reapply in six months.

PREQUALIFY NOW

Step 3 in-person visit

Once pre-approved, you are invited for a visit to our Habitat office for an informal get-to-know-you session. Here you can ask any outstanding questions and meet the staff. We will get you ready for the next qualification steps.

Step 4 approval

Once approved, you will be directed to the Community Outreach Training Center where you will complete the Homebuyer’s Education course and begin the application process. You’ll be asked to sign a Partnership Agreement which states the specifics of the program and your roles and responsibilities.

During the COVID-19 virus households are required to complete a minimum of 200 sweat equity hours either in our office, our ReSore, or on other families’ homesites.

You must contribute $500 toward your home’s down payment. You will also be required to have homeowners insurance paid in full at the time of closing (a cost of approximately $1,000-$1,500).