Orange County NC Website
covering the hard costs associated with the rehabilitation of the home. The loan will be <br />forgiven at $3,000 per year. <br />As long as the borrower lives in the home, no payments on the loan will be required. If <br />the recipient prefers, the loan can be paid off at any time, either in installments or as a <br />lump sum payment. Furthermore, no payment will be required as long as the house <br />continues to be both owned and occupied by the household whose income is less than <br />80% of the area median income. That means a buyer who may wish to buy the property <br />to live in, may upon Agency approval, "assume" the loan, and make no payments, so <br />long as they can document that they are income - eligible. Should an heir inherit the <br />property and choose to live in the house as their permanent residence, they may assume <br />the loan without being income eligible. However, the lien remains on the property. A <br />buyer who may wish to buy the property to live in may assume the loan as long as they <br />can document that they are income - eligible (< 80% AMI). Default can occur if the <br />property is sold or transferred to another person and /or if the borrower fails to use the <br />home as a principal residence, without prior written approval of the North Carolina <br />Housing Finance Agency. <br />Orange County will offer, subject to NCHFA approval and homeowner acceptance, the <br />possibility of having access to the Duke Power Loan Pool to finance certain energy <br />related costs if the lowest bid exceed the cost limits of the SFR Program. This will be on <br />a case by case basis. <br />What binds of work will be done? Each house selected for assistance must be <br />rehabilitated to meet all SFR Rehabilitation Standards. This means every house must, <br />upon completion of the rehabilitation: <br />• Meet the US Department of Housing and Urban Development ( "HUD ") Section 8 <br />Housing Quality Standards including applicable Lead -Based Paint regulations 27 <br />CFR part 35, and Orange County's Minimum Housing Code. (These are so- <br />called "habitability standards" which set minimum standards for decent, safe and <br />sanitary living conditions.) <br />• Meet or exceed NCHFA Energy - Efficiency Standards. (These are standards <br />designed to save energy and save you money on your monthly utility bills. They <br />also result in healthier and more comfortable homes.) <br />• Meet or exceed SRF "Written Rehabilitation Standards" (These standards are <br />designed to ensure greater durability) <br />• Retain no "imminent threats" to the occupants of the home or to the home's <br />"structural integrity ". (An example of an imminent threat to occupants as well as <br />to the home's structural integrity is a crawlspace that is too damp. In time the <br />dampness may provide an invitation for the growth of mold and mildew as well as <br />promote damage to the framing from termites and fungi.) <br />These requirements are spelled out in full in Orange County's SFRLP14 Administrator's <br />Manual which you may view, at reasonable times, upon request, at the County's office or <br />at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency's website www.nchfa.com under forms <br />and documents SFRLP 14. <br />11 <br />