WHY BUY WITH US?

Benefits

Habitat Chicago’s loan is affordable. 

We subsidize building costs so that your total housing payment at the time of closing (including principal, property taxes, and insurance) will not exceed 30% of your gross monthly income. You can build wealth through homeownership and do it in a way that you can afford. We finance your purchase with an Affordable Mortgage, which means your loan will have no interest, less than 1% APR, and you will not be required to pay mortgage insurance premiums.  

Preparation for homeownership is part of the process. 

At Habitat Chicago, we work right alongside you from start to finish, committed to your success as a homeowner. Homeownership carries different responsibilities than renting and we provide workshops, classes, and support meetings to ensure that you are ready for them. You can feel confident tackling the financial, maintenance, and community engagement aspects of homeownership.  

The neighborhood is ready to welcome you. 

Neighborhoods are brought to life when people invest in them and the neighborhoods we build in are home to active residents making investments big and small. You can count on your neighbors to foster a healthy and vibrant community.  

Investing Together

Together with you and your neighbors, we are committed to contributing to the vibrancy of your new neighborhood. Through community coalition efforts, community grantmaking, construction activities, and homeownership preparation, we work to help advance local initiatives toward a healthy and thriving community. You become a part of this investment when you purchase your home, helping to add long-lasting, high-quality housing to the neighborhood. We make an initial investment in the neighborhood through construction costs and loan subsidies. You become part of that investment when you purchase your home - through both your consistent mortgage payments and your long-term presence in the neighborhood.  

Focused Investments

Habitat Chicago strives to maximize our investment for greatest impact. Rather than spreading development investments thinly across the city, Habitat Chicago targets three focus neighborhoods, making long-term commitments and multi-year investments in West Pullman (since 2012), Greater Grand Crossing (since 2021), and Austin (coming soon). You can look forward to building community in one of these neighborhoods when buying a house with Habitat Chicago. 

Homeowner Testimonial 

"When I heard about the Habitat program, I immediately knew it was the perfect fit for us. I applied to have a stable place for [my daughter] and me to live, as well as future generations of our family. When I finally become a homeowner, I believe we will gain a new sense of accomplishment, pride, and confidence. I’ve been in the program for a while now, and after completing all of my volunteer and homeowner education hours, I feel prepared to take on the responsibility of owning a home and becoming an active member of my new community." - Tabitha, Homeowner

Next Steps

Ready to learn more? Here are some next steps you can take:

1. Read the next page in the sequence: 2. Program Overview

2. Subscribe to receive email updates and reminders about the Affordable Homeownership Program

3. Register  for and attend an information session where you can hear directly from our team and ask any questions you may have