Stop Dreaming and Start Owning!
The CAC home purchasing program provides an opportunity for families with moderate to low income to become homeowners with almost no money down by helping build their new home. The price of homes in Whitman County has made it difficult for most working families to become homeowners. The CAC Program allows first-time homebuyers to earn most of their down payment by completing work such as painting, landscaping and construction clean-up on their new home. Applications are being accepted for homes being built on Fleming Court located on the Hauser Addition in Colfax, Washington.
Click Here to View Fleming Court Homes
The work for your down payment approach
The approach called "sweat equity" or "self-help" brings affordable, new homes to families with moderate and lower income. We search for an appropriate building site and purchase enough land to build the homes. A family group made up of 4 to 6 families is formed following the land purchase. Community Action Center arranges for experienced contractors to complete work that needs technical training or licenses, and teaches the homebuyers how to complete the sweat equity tacks needed to finish the homes. The contributions made by the families becomes their down payment.
- The self-help sweat equity work will include painting, landscaping, construction clean-up and miscellaneous construction tasks.
- An experienced construction supervisor will provide training and guidance to each homeowner as they complete their work.
- No previous construction experience is required.
Family Expectations and Contributions
As part of the program each family will be expected to:
- Attend a First Time Homebuyers Class; Pre-Construction Training which includes mandatory safety training; Post-Construction which includes future maintenance and home repair; other meetings as needed.
- Sign and abide by the Building Group Agreement, which defines the roles, actions, and responsibilities of the Community Action Center, the building supervisor, and families.
- Provide an estimated minimum of 200 hours over a 6 month construction period.
- Provide basic hand tools.
We will help you every step of the way!
The Community Action Center will:
- Locate and obtain suitable building sites for the homes.
- Recruit and determine preliminary eligibility of potential homeowner; assist in the preparation of preliminary loan application documents for submission to a lending institution.
- Arrange a series of informational meetings covering building group activities, homeownership, and related subjects.
- Provide house plans which have been approved by the lender, city, and meet the immediate needs of the applicant(s).
- Direct and supervise construction on all houses.
- Teach skills to the homeowners as necessary to enable them to complete their self-help portion of the home according to the plans and specifications and within the allowed budgets.
- Make contracts for services and purchase materials in accordance with plans and specifications.
Who is Eligible?
Income includes the gross income of all members of the family. All support payments, benefit payments and interest income must be included. Income eligibility limits for 2009:
| Household Size | 1 Person | 2 People | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Annual Income | $32,300 | $36,900 | $41,550 | $46,150 | $49,850 |
Eligibility Requirements
- The applicants credit report must demonstrate a willingness to repay debts.
- The adult household members cannot have owned a home within the last 3 years.
- The total indebtedness secured by the home may not exceed 100% of the appraised value of the property.
- The borrowers income to debt ratios may not exceed 33% for housing debt payments, taxes, and insurance or 41% for total debt or 41% for total housing costs including utilities and maintenance costs.
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page if you have any questions concerning the program and if it is right for you. For more information call Sandy at: 509-334-9147 Toll Free: 1-800-482-3991 Fax: 509-334-9105 Email: Sandym@cacwhitman.com
Phase II Home Purchasing Project
Community Action Center is now in the planning stages of building four new homes similar to the homes at Fleming Court that will be available in Palouse, Washington. The homes will be located off of Palouse Cove Road. If you think you might be interested in the Palouse Homes please contact us. See our conceptual site plan below.
You will need the latest version of Adobe Reader in order to read or print the application.
Return this form to:
Home Purchasing Program, Community Action Center - 350 SE Fairmont Road, Pullman WA 99163
