How to Get a Government Home Loan with Low or Moderate Income
Page 2

For direct loans, application is made at the Rural Development field office serving the county where the dwelling is or will be located. For guaranteed loans, application is made to a participting lender. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.

Rural Development field offices have the authority to approve most Direct loan requests. The processing of guaranteed loans will vary from State to State. You will need to contact the Rural Development State Office in your area. It will be listed in your local telephone directory.

If no backlog exists, decisions on direct loan applications are made within 30 to 60 days. Requests for guarantee loans are acted upon in 3 days.

The time it takes to get approved or disapproved can range anywhere from 30 days to 60 days depending on the availablity of funds and whether or not the application was filed while a backlog of applications are present. For guarantees, a decision is required within 3 days of loan package submission by the approved lender.

You CAN appeal if you are denied the loan or loan guarantee:

"Agency regulations providing customers with the rights for an informal review, mediation or alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or appeal to the National Appeals Division (NAD) are contained in 7 CFR Part 3550. NAD regulations are found at 7 CFR Part 11. Requests for an informal review, mediation and ADR must be received within 30 days from the date of the adverse decision. Requests for an appeal to NAD must be received within 30 days of receipt of the adverse decision."

You can also reapply at any time.

This assistance is available throughout the year by means of quarterly allocations. Funds may be given at the loan closing or they may be deposited in the bank account for purchase of a building site, and purchase or repair of a dwelling, or in multiple advances for construction. For guaranteed loans, funds are distributed after all the work has been completed.

Just so you know, the applications for direct loans far exceed available funding. There's usually a waiting list if you want direct loan funding for a home.

You are not required to, but you should keep copies of any of your loan related documents.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

From $1,000 to $105,000; an average of $73,350 for 502 direct loans, and 93,000 for guaranteed loans. Loans in high cost areas may be higher.

Literature and Guidelines: 7 CFR Part 3550 "Direct Single Family Housing Loans and Grants." For guaranteed loans, 1980-D "Subpart D -Rural Housing Loans."

You can contact their offices here:

For Your Local Office:

They will be listed under United States Department of Agriculture for Rural Development in your local phone directory. If you can't find their listing, you can contact the Rural Development State Office on the web here: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html.

Headquarters Office

Director, Single Family Housing Direct Loan Division or Director Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Division, Rural Housing Service (RHS), Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 720-1474 (direct loans); (202) 720-1452 (guaranteed loans).

You can visit their web site here: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

About The Author Rebecca Game is the founder of Digital Women ®, an online community for women in business. A 30 year entrepreneur and dedicated to helping other women find business loans and business grants. Visit her site: Business Grants for Women or at her main site: http://www.digital-women.com.

How to Get a Government Home Loan with Low or Moderate Income
  Back to Page 1

Additional Resources

category - Home Buying Programs

California Housing Finance Agency
The California Housing Finance Agency, otherwise known as CalHFA, is an independent, self-supporting agency that was chartered to as the State's affordable housing bank to make low interest rate loans through the sale of tax-exempt bonds; with these bonds being repaid by revenues generated through mortgage loans, instead of taxpayer dollars.

---

Frequently Asked Questions about Buying Your First Home
The idea of buying a new home for the first time can be overwhelming for most people. It is probably the largest investment they have ever made, and the process itself seems downright intimidating. ...

---

Department of Housing and Urban Development: Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs
The CoC Homeless Assistance programs is designed to reduce the incidence of homelessness in established CoC communities, thereby the need to assist homeless individuals and families during the process of quickly transitioning to self-sufficiency and permanent housing.

---

Ohio Heroes Program for First Time Home Buyers in the State of Ohio
One of the most popular programs of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency is the Ohio Heroes Program which is exclusively intended for active military men, active reservists, veterans, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and several other individuals with noble professions.

---