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NOTICE TO HARVEY HOMEBUYER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM APPLICANTS
Harvey Homebuyer Assistance Program (HbAP) has exhausted its funding, and is now closed until further notice. As you may have heard, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) is currently limiting the funding to several of the City’s Hurricane Harvey disaster programs, under which HbAP operates. Due to these unforeseen circumstances surrounding funding limitations and other challenges with the GLO including a pending decision on whether the City must return money that should go toward these critical programs and resources, we are no longer processing applications.
According to the HbAP Guidelines, the City’s offer of assistance depends on the availability of funding; when funding is limited or unavailable, the City must notify all applicants in the program. Applicants who are not assisted can reapply to the HbAP when additional funding is available. The City and the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) are unable to give preference to previously submitted applications in future programs.
Homeownership is a dream for many Houstonians but out of reach for many low-income residents. The City offers up to $30,000 to income-qualified Houstonians who are first-time homebuyers, who have not owned a home in the last three years, or are replacing a home that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
Our assistance is a no-interest, forgivable loan secured by a lien. The loan is fulfilled if the buyer lives in the home for five years. If the buyer sells or moves out of the home before the end of five years, they will pay back the City for a portion of the original loan amount. Please note that a homeowner must also maintain homeowner’s insurance and flood insurance on the property for the duration of this five-year period.
To Begin, Make sure you meet these qualifications:
First Steps
Realtors and other professionals interested in learning more about the Harvey Homebuyer Assistance Program or helping residents to take advantage of this program can sign up for our email list at the link below. Signing up will let us know of your interest and help us keep you up to date on any upcoming events or announcements.
Completed the first steps?
Call to receive an Applicant ID number. You will need this for the Program Application & Intake Form in the following steps. It is strongly recommended that you provide an email address when you make this call, as your process will move faster if you can use email.
The Harvey Homebuyer Assistance Program has three distinct phases
Phase 1: Homebuyer Application
Once you have received this number, complete all the documents on the Applicant Document Checklist , including but not limited to:
| Application/Intake Form |
| Statement and Explanation of Facts (Form 1010) |
| First-Time Homebuyer Status and Certification of Property Ownership |
| Conflict of Interest Form |
| Affidavit of Child Support: Non-Delinquent |
| Certificate of Zero Income |
| Asset and Income Certification |
| Pre-approval letter |
| Homebuyer education course certificate |
Your Applicant ID number is valid for 60 days (75 days if you cannot provide an email address), so please make sure to complete all documents promptly. Incomplete applications cannot be processed. Please be sure that you have collected all the documents on the Document Checklist before submitting your application.
How to submit documents
You may submit your application in one of four ways:
Need to check the status of your application?
The Homebuyer Assistance Program takes about six weeks, provided there are no external delays. Please note that the six weeks is measured from the time the applicant submits a complete application. We cannot begin work on an incomplete application.
Phase 2 (Property Inspection/Underwriting)
Once you receive a Conditional Reservation Letter, it is time to put a property under contract.
Your lender will need to submit all the documents on the Property & Lenders Checklist, including:
| Property Data Sheet |
| Loan Disclosure Form |
| Acknowledgement of Lead Based Paint Notice |
| Notice to Sellers |
| Sellers Occupancy Certification Form |
| See the full list |
Please note: TREC inspections will only be accepted if they were completed after construction.
The City then reviews these materials and places our loan assistance into underwriting. Meanwhile, the property will be inspected and given an environmental review.
If approved, the City will then issue a Commitment Letter .
Phase 3: Closing
Once you receive a Commitment Letter, you will complete a pre-closing meeting.
Instructions and loan closing documents are sent to title and lender, who submit pre-closing documents, including:
| Wiring Instructions for funds |
| Preliminary Closing Disclosure |
| Form C HbAP Insurance Benefits and Expenditures |
| See full pre-closing checklist |
Funds from the Harvey Homebuyer Assistance Program are wired on the day of closing.
The title and lender will then submit post-closing documents, including:
| Original Executed City Deferred Payment Loan Note |
| Final Certified Closing Disclosure |
| See full post-closing checklist |