Fulton County Provides Home Ownership Opportunities

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Down payment assistance funding is available for low to moderate income families through Fulton County’s Home Owner Program (HOP). Eligible families must reside in Alpharetta, Chattahoochee Hills, College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Milton, Mountain Park, Palmetto and Union City. Families living in the Riverdale section of Fulton County can apply for HOP.

Funding is made available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funding that makes it possible for Fulton County to provide up to 6 percent of the home’s sales price, which cannot exceed $10,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance.
Qualified individuals will receive down payment and closing cost assistance in accordance with the loan applicant’s first mortgage lender requirements.

Key Information

• Affordability period is five years. Repayment is not required if the home remains the primary residence of the home buyer throughout the five-year affordability period.
• Twenty percent of the loan amount is forgiven annually after year 1, provided the home buyer remains compliant with HOP guidelines.
• Credit history and income must qualify the home buyer with a first mortgage lender with appropriate debt to income ratios.
• The home purchased must be within the purchase price limit. (The maximum home sale purchase price cannot exceed $201,000 for existing homes and $224,000 for new construction.
• Home buyer is required to complete a minimum of 8 hours of pre-purchase housing counseling with a HUD approved agency.
• The purchaser must fall within the proper income guidelines to purchase a property with HUD assistance (Annual gross household income requirements must not exceed the limits established by HUD.

Over the past 48 months, the following six (6) participating lenders have closed loans:

• American Eagle Mortgage
• Bank of Ozarks
• Diamond Residential Mortgage
• Homestar Financial
• RS Mortgage
• Southeast Mortgage

Interested lenders and citizens who need additional information may contact Arthur Christian at Arthur.Christian@fultoncountyga.gov.

Citizens in need of reasonable accommodations due to a disability including, communications in an alternative format should contact the Department of Community Development at 404-613-7944. For Georgia Relay Access, dial 711.