We recommend the first step you take as an interested homebuyer is to view upcoming and available communities. Here you can browse what properties are available or coming soon. Once you select a property you are interested in, pay close attention to the application dates, prices of the homes and type of community. 

From there, we recommend getting acquainted with our homebuyer qualifications. Homebuyers need to get pre-approved with a recommended lender.

RootedHomes homebuyers must attend an RootedHomes information session. We have monthly information sessions at the Redmond Library or you can reach out to dulce@rootedhomes.org or juliana@rootedhomes.org for a recorded information session. 

RootedHomes homebuyers must be a first-time homebuyer, meaning they haven’t owned real estate as their primary residence in the last three years. 

RootedHomes homebuyers must meet income requirements depending on their family size.
The most time-consuming part of applying to our program is getting pre-qualified with a lender. We recommend starting the process with a lender sooner rather than later because they can help you create an action plan in order to become mortgage ready. Plus it’s free to talk to a lender! You can view our list of recommended lenders here.

A mortgage is a type of loan to purchase real estate. Mortgage ready means that you fit the qualifications determined by the lender so that you can start shopping for real estate. Lenders will pre approve you for a certain price of a home based on your income. 

The factors they consider in determining your pre-approval amount is your income, your credit score, how much debt you currently have and your savings. All of our lenders have been vetted through client feedback and are well versed in working with first-time homebuyers.

RootedHomes primarily sells homes to households earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income for the County the property is located. Area Median Income is a gross income amount set every year by the Federal government. Every April, they publish new income limits. 

The income limit depends on how many people are in your household. See chart below for current income limits.

Depending on the property, RootedHomes also sells homes to households earning 60% - 120% of the area median income. Here are the income ranges for a household earning 60% - 120% depending on their household size.

For the select RootedHomes communities we will have down payment assistance available to reduce the prices even more for lower income households due to rising interest rates. 

Current down payment assistance opportunities: 

• First-time homebuyers (Veterans): Receive up to $30,000 or 20% of the purchase price, whichever is less.

• First-generation homebuyers (Veterans): Receive up to $60,000 or 20% of the purchase price, whichever is less.

For the application you need three things: 

1. Your pre approval letter that shows you are pre-approved for the affordable sales price of the home. 

2. Your Gross Annual Income for the entire household, assets and debts. The application can help calculate your income for you. You must enter your income, your assets and debts one at a time depending on what they are. 

3. A bank statement showing you have 1% of the purchase price in savings.

4. Confirm that you have attended an information session.

RootedHomes selects recipients via an automated tiered selection system with certain prioritizations. Applicants are assigned up to five lottery points based on four qualifications: 

• First-generation home buyers receive one preference point. A first-generation homebuyer is a first-time homebuyer whose parents do not currently own real estate in the United States. 
  

• Housing Works clients receive one preference point. Housing Works clients are Section 8 voucher holders or people living in Housing Works owned properties. 
  

• Employees of our Employer Partners receive two preference points. Each community has specific employers that have pledged to sponsor homes for their employees. For example, at Simpson, our Bend-based community, we’ve partnered with local employers including Mosaic Medical, St. Charles Health System, Mid Oregon Credit Union, and BASX to support homeownership opportunities.
  

• Veterans receive one preference point. 

If you have questions about calculating your income please contact our Homeownership team. We recognize that unless you are salary calculating income can be tricky so please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help! 

Once a homebuyer is selected for a home, RootedHomes performs a more thorough income verification check. RootedHomes looks at past income and then calculates your income going forward based on your past three months of paystubs or profit and loss statements. Income verifications must be completed within 12 months of closing on your new home. After you close on your home, RootedHomes no longer monitors your gross annual income.

RootedHomes selects recipients randomly via a tiered selection system with certain prioritizations. Applicants are assigned up to five lottery points based on four qualifications: 

1. First-generation home buyers receive one preference point. A first-generation homebuyer is a first-time homebuyer whose parents do not currently own real estate in the United States. 

2. Housing Works clients receive one preference point. Housing Works clients are Section 8 voucher holders or people living in Housing Works owned properties. 

3. Employees of our Employer Partners receive two preference points. Each community has specific employers that have pledged to sponsor homes for their employees.For example, at Simpson, our Bend-based community, we’ve partnered with local employers including Mosaic Medical, St. Charles Health System, Mid Oregon Credit Union, and BASX to support homeownership opportunities.

4. Veterans receive one preference point. 

After the application period closes, all qualified applicants are assigned a random number and randomly selected based on their preference. The randomized system organizes applicants into tiers based on the number of preference points they receive. The highest tier is 5-point applicants followed by 4-point applicants. The system selects the highest point applicants first and then moves down the tiers based on the available number of homes. RootedHomes also selects a waitlist of two people per home. Every community we’ve had people from the waitlist purchase homes due to turnover from the original recipients. 

Anybody can apply to a RootedHomes home and RootedHomes does not discriminate against any person because of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Handicap, Familial Status, or National Origin.

Selected homebuyers and waitlist positions will be notified the week following applications closing. All other applicants will be notified the following week. As there is movement on the waitlist RootedHomes will continue to update waitlisted participants.

Click on the links below to access resources.

Homeownership Terms

Steps to Buy a Home

Steps to Buy a Home (español)

Mortgage Readiness Workbook