City of Liberal’s self-help housing program offers families some advantages. One of the difficulties to homeownership is that most mortgage loans require a down payment. With Self Help the sweat equity acts as a down payment so no down payment is required. Also, the overall price to build the home is reduced because of the sweat equity put into it which means the moment you move in you will already have EQUITY in your home. Depending on income & household size, the loan is made to be affordable. Qualified households can get a reduced interest rate that can be as low as 1%, making house payments more affordable. Families also gain construction and home maintenance skills through the process of building their homes which will be a valuable skill for the new homeowners.
Overall, the time spent building the homes creates a strong sense of neighborhood, families gain friendships, and the community is developed.
Overview of City of Liberal’s Self-Help Housing Program
City of Liberal’s Mutual Self-Help Housing Program gives you the opportunity to build your own house. Working together with other families, you will learn valuable construction skills as you build your own house. There is no construction experience required because our construction supervisor will be there every step of the way. The months that you spend building your home can save you as much as $20,000, and there’s never a payment to make during construction.
You will choose your own house lot and work with other families in the same area to build each other’s homes. You will choose the colors of your siding, roofing, paint, carpet, flooring and cabinets. Your house will be uniquely yours!
No construction experience is needed — we will teach you everything you need to know. Some tasks will be completed by professionals, but everything else is up to you and the other members of your group. In addition to your new home, you will be gaining valuable skills in budgeting, construction, maintenance and home repair.
