City of Grand Prairie : Buying Power Program

The Buying Power Program assists low-to-moderate income persons and families in purchasing a home. This program is administered through the City of Grand Prairie Housing and Neighborhood Services.

Program Design:

Provides a total of $5,000 for up to 50 % (percent) of required down payment for low-to-moderate income families; or pays reasonable closing costs (normally associated with the purchase of a home) incurred by a low to moderate income homebuyer.
Buyer must have a minimum investment of $500.00 and reflected on the HUD-1 form.
Households who receive assistance will not be required to make monthly payments on the grant.
If the total exceeds the $5,000 limit, the buyer will be responsible for the additional funds. The City will not pay any fees, cost, or reimburse charges directly to the client. The City has sole discretion as to where the funds can be used, up to but not to exceed $5,000.
Property must be located within the city limits of Grand Prairie.
Property must be the primary residence of the buyer.
Property sales price may not exceed $160,128.00; this is 80% of the 203(B) limits ($200,160.00) for the Grand Prairie area.
Custom-built, new construction property is ineligible unless constructed under an approved affordable housing program. The property must be from existing housing stock located in Grand Prairie.
Properties built before 1978 must have a lead based paint visual assessment. If deteriorating lead based paint is found, it must be stabilized. The property must be “lead safe” before occupied by the buyer.
No other federally funded sources may be used in conjunction with the program.
Property must pass HQS inspection performed by the City of Grand Prairie and all utilities must be on.

Application Eligibility and Participation Requirements:

Applicant must be a first-time home buyer.
Applicant must be low-to-moderate income (see chart below).
All applicant family members’ income will be calculated to determine gross family income. Lender qualifying criteria may be different.
Applicant does not have to be a resident of the City of Grand Prairie to apply; however, priority will be given to Grand Prairie residents.
No member of the applicant’s (2) household shall own any improved real estate which is or can be used for residential purposes, including mobile homes.
Acceptable credit history required.
Applicant must provide proof of savings available for all other i.e. down payment, prepaid, closing cost, appraisal, credit report, points, mortgage interest buy-down, etc. as applicable and as may be required.
Applicant must have acceptable income to debt ratios i.e. no more than 42% can be contributed to Principle, Interest, Taxes and Insurance (PITI).
To be considered for participation in this program, a person must complete the Client Application and meet the aforementioned eligibility guidelines.
Applicants using a co-signer to qualify must list them on the application, provide all their documentation and their income will be used to determine eligibility.

Income Limits:

Income must not exceed 80% of the median by family size

Family Size              1             2            3           4             5           6           7             8
Dallas County       38300     43750     49200     54650     59050     63400     67800     72150
Tarrant County     37750     43150     48550     53900     58250     62550     66850     71150

Ineligible Expenses:

All pre-paids
Unreasonable or inflated fees charged to the buyer
Origination fee exceeding 1%
The remaining portion of the down payment

Other Responsibilities:

Before closing, potential buyers must attend a HUD approved homebuyer training and counseling class(es).
Where buyer(s) may have funding shortfalls, a lender and/or seller may contribute funds to any cost or waive any fee associated with the sell of the property.
Borrower may not receive any funds at closing.

A minimum of 10 working days is required for processing, once the following documents are obtained from the appropriate sources:

Prequalification Letter
Signed Sales Contract
Good Faith Estimate
Appraisal
Notice to Seller (provided by this office) completed and returned with application
Homebuyer Training & Counseling Certificate
Copy of Homeowner Inspection
Settlement Statement required before check will be processed

Applicants must be eligible for assistance at time of application. Interested person(s) must apply at the Housing and Neighborhood Services (Neighborhood Services Division) office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Friday. City offices are closed on holidays. Telephone applications will not be accepted.

Upon completion of the application, all applicants are required to provide proof of the above eligibility documents within 10 days of the application date. Failure to provide all documentation within 90 days will result in disqualification from the program. Once disqualified, an applicant must reapply and is placed at the bottom of the waiting list. The waiting period is subject to change without notice. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, subject to the application approval date with priority given to Grand Prairie residents where applicable. In the absence of any policy and for the purpose of verification, the Section 8 Administration Policy may prevail.

For any additional information, contact the office at the following address or phone number:

Housing and Neighborhood Services
205 West Church Street
Grand Prairie, Texas 75050
(972) 237-8162

HNS reserves the right to amend without notice, procedures and income limits.

The title company you select must be in the city limits of Grand Prairie. Allow 10 days after we receive the signed W9 before a check will be processed.

Last updated: 2/29/2012 3:43:24 PM