Let Habitat help you build a brighter future.

Lake Chelan Valley Habitat for Humanity partners with families and individuals who are in need of safe, decent housing. Since 1993 we have partnered with 19 families to help realize their dream of affordable homeownership.

Who qualifies for Habitat Homeownership?

Lake Chelan Habitat partners with families and individuals who make between 40-80% of area median income (AMI) and live and/or work within the Lake Chelan Valley.

In order to qualify for the Habitat Homeownership Program you must demonstrate a need for affordable housing, have the ability to qualify for and pay an affordable mortgage (no more than 30% of your gross income), and be willing to partner with Habitat.

Habitat homeowners own their homes, pay an affordable monthly mortgage, pay property taxes and homeowner’s insurance, repair and maintain their homes, and most importantly, earn equity and build wealth.

Basic Application Requirements

Lake Chelan Valley Habitat builds homes in partnership with families and individuals who are in need of safe, affordable housing.

In order to qualify for the Habitat Homeownership Program you must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

  • Currently live OR work in the Lake Chelan Valley (Chelan, Manson, Chelan Falls or Orondo).

  • Have not owned a home in the last 3 years.

  • Have a need for safe, affordable housing and have current housing that is unsafe, unaffordable, temporary, overcrowded and/or inaccessible.

  • Have dependable income that meets the guidelines and the ability to pay an affordable mortgage of no more than 30% of your gross annual income.

  • Be willing to partner with Lake Chelan Habitat to fulfill all program requirements in a timely and accurate manner.

  • Have a history of making timely payments and have a debt to income ratio is no more than 43%

2025 Income Requirements

*These numbers are based on 2025 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Area Median Income for Chelan County, WA and are subject to change without notice.

Have questions or need help?

Please reach out to our office if you have questions about our Homeownership Program or need help with your application. Please be aware that Habitat Store Staff and volunteers are unable to answer questions about eligibility for a Habitat home or application status. You can also reach our office at 509.888.1573

Where we are building

Lake Chelan Habitat relies on donated or discounted land to build affordably. We are only able to build homes when we have the resources and land available. We are currently building at our Pumpkin Lane Development in the City of Chelan. The first 2 homes at this location were sold earlier this year — with the goal of building of atleast 6 more affordable homes over the next three years.

Please remember that when you apply for our Homeownership Program, you are applying to be eligible to buy a home in the area where we are currently building and a home size appropriate to the number of people in your household. We are unable to accommodate location or home size preferences.

 

How does Habitat make homeownership “affordable”?

Affordable housing is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as housing that costs no more than 30% of a household’s gross income. Habitat Homeowners’ monthly housing payments (mortgage, insurance, and taxes) are calculated to not exceed 30% of your gross household income at the time of purchase. 

Habitat homes are made affordable by using simple design features, and where possible donated materials and volunteer labor, to reduce home construction costs. Community donations, Habitat Store proceeds and the mortgage payments of previous Habitat Homeowners also go towards our Building Fund and help offset the mortgage cost.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Habitat and the Homeownership Program

  • Lake Chelan Valley Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit non-ecumenical Christian ministry that helps families and individuals build and improve places to call home. Lake Chelan Valley Habitat brings together people of all faiths and of no faith to work locally to build affordable homes alongside prospective homeowners. We believe affordable housing plays a critical role in strong and stable communities. Our vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. We work toward our vision by building strength, stability, and self-reliance in partnership with people in need of a decent and affordable home. We welcome anyone in need of housing to apply regardless of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

  • The first step is to complete an “Application for Housing”. Your application is screened for completeness, and you will be notified if your application is complete or if more information is needed. Your completed application will then be evaluated for meeting basic requirements such as your income and residency and you will receive a notification in the mail about whether you qualify to move on to the next phase of the application review. Qualified applications will be reviewed further by a committee and may include a credit check, background/sexual offender registry check and a home visit to verify application information. Once the committee has reviewed your application, the Board of Directors will vote whether to approve you as a prospective Habitat Homeowner. Please note that this not an application for a mortgage or a specific Habitat home, it is solely an application to enter the Homeownership Program.

  • Once the Board of Directors has approved you as a prospective Habitat Homeowner, you will be required to sign a “Partnership Agreement”. This letter is not a contract; it merely states our mutual willingness to go forward in our process and participate in our Homeownership Program. The purpose of the agreement is to confirm your intention to buy the home once Habitat completes it, to fulfill the sweat equity requirement, and to attend a series of homeowner education classes. The agreement also confirms Habitat’s intention to work with you to complete a decent, affordable house.     

  • Unfortunately, we have a limited number of homes we can build each year, and not everyone who meets our requirements will be accepted into our Homeownership Program. We encourage applicants who are not accepted to apply again in the future. Some of our most successful homeowners’ have been selected on the second or even third application attempt. We also encourage applicants to see the housing and financial education resources on our website to see how you can improve your application qualifications or to find other housing resources that may be helpful.

  • Habitat Homeownership on average takes 12-24 months from application to closing on the mortgage. This is a long-term housing solution and an investment in your and your family’s future. Habitat Homeownership is not emergency housing. If you are in urgent need of housing assistance there are many other local organizations who can help.

  • Habitat has several house plans and plans may vary from house to house and site to site. Your house plan will depend on the size of your family. Depending on the build, certain features such as colors, cabinets, or flooring may be chosen by you, however, Habitat homes are not custom homes. The ultimate goal is for Habitat is to build a decent, affordable house.      

  • Habitat homes are modest in size and follow Habitat and HUD sizing requirements. As such 2-bedroom room homes will have 1.5 bathrooms and be approximately 1,000 square feet, and 3 or 4-bedroom homes will have 2 bathrooms and range between approximately 1200 and 1400 square feet. Size of home offered will be based on family size. Habitat Homes will include central heat and air, a water heater, a stove, a refrigerator, vinyl flooring, and laundry connections.

  • Once the house is completed, you will be required to go through a loan application process. We will again look at your income, credit, employment status, and expenses. If any of these have changed (in a negative way) since you entered the program, you may not be able to move into your house. If your loan application is approved, you will be able to purchase the home with an affordable mortgage.

  • The sales price of each house is based on its fair market value, but the first mortgage (the amount you pay) may be adjusted to be affordable for your income level. The length of the mortgage is typically 30 years. The monthly amount paid includes your mortgage payment and any homeowner’s insurance and property taxes. A third-party loan servicing agency such as a local bank, may be selected to finance your mortgage and your monthly payment will be paid to them each month. The bank holding your mortgage will pay the sales price to Habitat to repay your share of building the home and pay for the next Habitat Home to be built.

  • LCVH understands that at some point you may want to sell your Habitat house. Because the first mortgage is sometimes less than the fair market value of the house, LCVH may require a second mortgage. The amount of the second mortgage will be the difference between the first mortgage and the appraised value of the house at the time of sale. This mortgage is forgiven as long as you continue to own & occupy the property as your primary home and are paying your first mortgage on time. If you sell your home or want to refinance, you will be required to repay the remaining balance of the second mortgage at that time. If you need to sell your Habitat home, LCVH has the first option to buy the house from you. Depending on when you sell your home, LCVH may have a shared interest in the proceeds of the sale, should your house increase in value.

Questions about owning a Habitat home

Equal Housing Opportunity

Lake Chelan Valley Habitat for Humanity is an equal opportunity housing provider. We are pledged to the letter and spirit of the law and provide a program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.