You will be considered for a Habitat home if you meet the following criteria.

1. You must have lived OR worked in Cobb County for at least one year.

2. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.

3. You will be considered for a Habitat home if your present housing is not adequate, or if you are unable to obtain adequate housing through other conventional means. Lack of adequate housing may include problems with the present structure; water, electrical or sewage service systems; heating system, or failure to meet city property maintenance standards. Also taken into consideration are the number, the ages and the gender of children compared to the number of bedrooms in your present home.

4. The percentage of your monthly income that you currently spend on housing may be considered to determine need. You will be required to openly and fully discuss your financial situation with Habitat personnel.  All information will be considered confidential.

5. You and your family will be considered if your annual total income is between 30-80% of the median income for Cobb County.

   Year 2006 Guidelines
   Based Upon A Family Size Of	Income Before Taxes Not Less Than	Income Before Taxes Not More Than
   One	$14,950	$39,850
   Two	$17,100	$45,550
   Three	$19,200	$51,250
   Four	$21,350	$56,950
   Five	$23,050	$61,500
   Six	$24,800	$66,050
   Seven	$26,500	$70,650
   Eight	$28,200	$75,200

   Are you ready to own a Cobb County Habitat home?

   1. Have you lived OR worked in Cobb County for at least one year?

   2. Are you a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident?

   3. Do you have a regular source of income?

   4. Is the total of your debt (with the exception of a car, student loans, and medical debts) $1,000 or less?

   5. If you have charged-off debts or debts in collections (with the exception of medical debts), have you paid them off to $250 or less?

   6. Is the total of all your monthly long-term payments combined (all debts, including car note and medical debts, plus your car insurance) less than 20 percent of your gross income?  (To calculate this, divide your car payment by your monthly gross income.  The number will be lower than .2 if your payment is less than 20 percent.)*

   7. If you have declared bankruptcy, has your bankruptcy been discharged for three years?  If your bankruptcy was dismissed, have you paid off all of the debts in the bankruptcy?
       *If you are planning to apply for a Habitat home, you must keep the combination of your long-term payments lower than 20 percent of your income.  While you are waiting to apply, you should keep in mind that any purchases with large, monthly payments (e.g., car payments plus insurance, furniture payments, etc.) are likely to push you over the 20 percent limit.  You should be very frugal with your purchases of large items as you are preparing to apply for a Habitat home.  

      If you (and your co-applicant, if you have one) answered “no” to any of these questions, please revisit us when you can answer “yes” to all of them.  If you feel you need assistance with financial issues, we suggest you read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey or contact the Consumer Credit Counseling Service at 1-800-251-CCCS or www.ccsinc.org.

      If you would like to learn more about homeownership at our next applicant meeting, complete the online interest form and we will email and/or send you a postcard to notify you of our next meeting.