Anyone who lives in substandard or overcrowded housing and who is not eligible for a traditional mortgage.

We use your Social Security number to run a credit check to verify the details of your pre-application. Without your Social Security number, we will not move forward with your application.

The cost to fill out the pre-application online or to mail in the brochure is free to anyone who wants to apply. We will use the information you supply in the pre-application to see if you are minimally qualified for the program. If you are asked to come into our office to fill out the complete application, the cost is $10. Once you are accepted into the program, you will prepay your closing costs on your new home, which is $75 per month for 16 months for a total of $1,200.

Generally you can expect to hear if you are eligible for our program within 30 days of submitting your pre-application. You should be ready to start working on your sweat equity within 60 to 90 days after submitting your pre-application. Once you start earning sweat equity hours, it will take you about 1 year before you are ready to move into your new house.

Sometimes we disqualify people because they have too much debt or they don’t have enough income to qualify for our program. We can help these applicants with strategies to improve their financial situation and encourage them to apply to the program again.

You earn sweat equity by attending classes on budgeting, home maintenance and construction. You also earn hours by working alongside community volunteers to build your house and houses of others. Finally, your children can earn hours by getting good grades in school.

Knoxville Habitat for Humanity builds within the limits of the city of Knoxville and also in Knox County. We build in areas of the city and county where taxes are affordable for our homeowners. If you live outside of Knox County, please contact the Habitat for Humanity affiliate serving your area.

Yes. Once you have earned 250 sweat equity hours, you can select a lot where your home will be built from a list of properties we already own and have approved. If you prefer, you can defer your lot selection, within reason, until another of our lots becomes available where you wish to build.

Yes. However, you will have to deed the property over to Knoxville Habitat for Humanity and we will have to ensure it is a buildable lot. If you default on your mortgage, the house and the land return to Knoxville Habitat for Humanity.

Your mortgage should be between $350 and $450 per month, depending on the size of your house. This monthly payment will include taxes and insurance, which are adusted annually and escrowed, then paid by Knoxville Habitat for Humanity on your behalf.