Am I eligible to apply for a
Habitat Home?
Determine if you are eligible to apply for a Habitat Home.
If you meet our three prerequisites below, you are eligible to apply for homeownership with Teton Habitat.
01
What is your U.S. Residency Status?
If you are a US Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident, or a DACA Recipient with a valid Social Security number and Employment Authorization Document, or you have a pending application for residency, you are eligible to apply.
02
Have you owned a home within the past three years?
Applicants and/or co-applicants cannot have owned a home within the past three years at time of application. If you have not owned a home the past three years, you are eligible to apply.
03
What is your annual household income?
Your annual household income is the pre-tax total salary of all the earners in your household. Check the Income Range Guidelines Chart below to see if you are eligible to apply, and click the arrow to the right to learn more information about your income range.
For example, a family of four has two full-time working parents, an 18 year old working part-time, and 12 year old. The three of them earn $100,000 annually, so they fall within the income range for a 4 person household.
These income ranges are based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) income guidelines for Teton county, Wyoming in May, 2024.
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Can we rent rooms?No. Rental of any rooms or space is not permitted and is considered a violation of our Ground Lease and/or Deed Restrictions.
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What is the pet policy?Each Unit shall be entitled to maximum of one (1) dog and one (1) other Household Pet (a Household Pet refers to generally recognized household pets other than a dog, such as cats, fish, birds, rodents, and non-poisonous reptiles), so long as such pets are not kept for any commercial purpose, and do not cause an unreasonable amount of noise, odor, or otherwise become a nuisance to other Owners.
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Is there extra storage outside the units?No. The following items are prohibited from being attached, stored, and/or erected in any manner by an Owner on or within the Common Elements: sunshades, bicycles or any recreational device (including kayaks, ski equipment, playground equipment, and toys), trash containers or any similar items, paint, highly flammable materials, food products, and any items that attracts vermin or produces odor. Bikes are permitted for storage solely within Common Elements Bike Racks.
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What happens if our income increases outside of the 80% limit while we are building our house or after we buy it? Do we get kicked out?Income verification for eligibility is only considered at time of application. However, a negative change in household income, prior to closing on the home, could disqualify participants from the program.
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Can non-married applicants apply?In short, yes. Both incomes will be considered for qualification. You will need to decide between the two whether to place both names on the note and whether one income could afford the mortgage.
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Can siblings or unrelated individuals co-purchase the home?In short, yes. Both incomes will be considered for qualification. You will need to decide between the two whether to place both names on the note and whether one income could afford the mortgage.
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What happens if we want to sell one day?Habitat shall have the right to exercise its Right of First Purchase of the Improvements. The “Sale Price” shall be derived from the “Base Price” of the Improvements on the Property. The “Base Price” is equal to the purchase price paid by you at the time of closing.
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If my children are younger than 16, can they help toward earning the sweat equity?Children under the age of sixteen may not contribute hours toward sweat equity. However, they are encouraged to help with meal prep for the build site, as well as hanging flyers or other marketing materials.
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Do I have to earn all the of sweat equity myself?Single Applicant Household (250 personal / 250 friends and family hours) Dual Applicant Household (300 personal / 200 friends and family hours)
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Will my mortgage be affordable?Yes, our mission is to ensure that our homeowners obtain an affordable mortgage. We calculate mortgage amounts using a third party appraiser to determine the home sale price and by calculating 30% of the household’s income. If 30% of the household’s income is not enough to pay the full sale price of the home, then a second mortgage will be assigned at 0% interest and payable in full only in the event of sale, default under the first mortgage, transfer of title, maturity of the mortgage note, or refinancing of the first mortgage by a third-party lender.
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Does Teton Habitat offer rental housing?Teton Habitat does not offer short-term housing, rental housing, or immediate occupancy.
Application Process Overview
STEP 1
FILL OUT YOUR INITIAL INTAKE APPLICATION
Now that you know that you meet the income guideline requirements to apply for a Habitat Home, you’ll need to enter your information into the Habitat system. We accept initial applications year-round. When a new home comes up for sale, you will be notified with a deadline of when to submit your financial documents for verification. Please ensure you have a recent and valid email address; you will be notified via email.
WAIT PERIOD
UNTIL WE HAVE A UNIT
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Now that you know that you meet the income guideline requirements to apply for a Habitat Home, and you have entered your intake form into the Habitat system, you will be notified via email when a Habitat Home comes up for sale.
STEP 2
SUPPLY YOUR FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR VERIFICATION
You have determined that you meet the requirements to apply for a Habitat Home and your initial intake information is in the system. When a Habitat home becomes available, we will contact you via email. We will then request documents and information to verify that you are financially eligible for a Habitat Home.
STEP 3
INTERVIEW FOR
COMMITTEE REVIEW
After Habitat reviews income verification documents for financial eligibility, qualifying applicants will move onto the review phase. A selection committee made up of local volunteers will review the qualified applicants to determine whom will receive a home interview. If you are selected for a home interview, you will be contacted by a team of selection committee members for potential dates and times. After home interviews are conducted, teams will report back to the full committee for final applicant recommendations to the Board. The Habitat board will make their final decision based on the selection committee’s recommendation.
STEP 4
SELECTION
The committee has recommended you to the Habitat Board. If you are approved, you will be notified that you have been accepted into the Homeownership Program. You will sign a letter of acceptance and pay a $100 good-faith deposit. This ends the application process, and begins your partnership with Habitat. Partnership consists of 500 hours of sweat equity, savings for closing costs, willingness to partner, and homebuyer education classes. Sweat equity can be building ore remodeling your own home, volunteering to build other Habitat Homes, or at the ReStore. The typical partnership timeline varies between one and a half to two years.
Path to Homeownership
This process may take 18–24 months to complete.
Teton County Affordable Rental Agencies
If you do not qualify for a Habitat home, we encourage you to check out other housing resources in Teton County.
Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust
110 E Broadway, 2nd floor
P.O. Box 4498
Jackson, WY 83001
307.739.0665
Jackson/Teton County Affordable
Housing Department
320 S. King Street
P.O. Box 714
Jackson, WY 83001
307-732-0867