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Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas · Fayetteville, Arkansas

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Income limit

80% AMI

Of area median income; varies by county and household size

What is Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program?

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program is down payment assistance for homebuyers in Fayetteville, Arkansas, administered by Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas.

  • Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas (formed 2024-07-01 by merger of the former Benton County and Washington County, AR affiliates) offers an affordable homeownership program serving Benton and Washington Counties. Selected partner families help build their home and buy it with an affordable Habitat-originated mortgage (interest as low as 0%), which functions as embedded affordable-homeownership assistance with no traditional down payment. Selection is based on housing need, ability to pay, and willingness to partner; households must earn 50%-80% of area median income.
  • Affordable, potentially 0%-interest mortgage.
  • New home built in partnership with the buyer.
  • No traditional down payment required.
  • Free Tools for Life financial/homeownership education.
  • Funding comes from Nonprofit (donations, ReStore proceeds, partner mortgage payments, Walton Family Foundation grants).

Do you have to pay it back?

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program is down payment assistance and is repaid under the terms set by Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas.

  • Repayment is triggered by Monthly affordable mortgage payments; no traditional down-payment repayment trigger.
  • The assistance is recorded in First (Habitat-held affordable mortgage). position.
  • Forgiveness and repayment terms are set by the program and can change — confirm them on the official program page before applying.

Who qualifies?

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program is open to buyers who will live in the home as their primary residence.

The program requires

  • The home is occupied as a primary residence
  • On credit: Selection based on need for housing, ability to pay, and willingness to partner; credit history reviewed for ability to repay.
  • A completed homebuyer education course, through Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas 'Tools for Life' classes.
  • Residency: Must live in Northwest Arkansas (Benton or Washington County).
  • DRAFT (dpa-gap-finder 2026-06-15): pending review. Habitat affordable-homeownership model (sweat equity + 0%/low-interest Habitat mortgage), not a cash down-payment grant; assistance_type set to 'other'. Affiliate formed 2024-07-01 by merger of the Benton County and Washington County AR affiliates. Many granular fields (credit score, DTI, exact AMI dollar limits, sweat-equity hours, loan term) are not published by the affiliate and were left blank rather than guessed.

The program excludes

  • Households above 80% of area median income

These are the program's own published rules, not a decision about any individual — the administering agency and a lender determine who actually qualifies.

What are the income limits?

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program limits household income to 80% of the area median income, which varies by county and household size.

  • Households must earn 50%-80% of HUD area median income for the Northwest Arkansas region (Benton & Washington Counties). Affiliate cites a current NWA regional median income of $106,900 (2026); HUD limits updated annually by family size.
  • The limit applies to total household income, not only the borrower’s.
  • Area median income figures are published by HUD and updated annually, so check the current table for the county before relying on a number.

What kind of home can it be used for?

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program can be used for Single Family.

  • New construction is eligible.

Where does it apply?

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program serves buyers purchasing in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

How do you apply?

Applications for Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas Homeownership Program go through Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas, which publishes the current terms and the application steps on its own site.

  1. Take a homebuyer education course

    Required by the program, through Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas 'Tools for Life' classes..

  2. Contact Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas to reserve funds

    Funds are reserved through Open application periods; prospective buyers attend an orientation as the first step., and are subject to availability.

  3. Work with a lender who handles the program

    Hey Prescott is not a lender and does not accept applications; this page describes the program so a buyer can take it to a lender or housing counselor.

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