If an assigned home is not accepted by the applicant, the family is not dropped, but their name is moved to the bottom of the applicant list for the next house. Prices will differ slightly depending on location and the costs of land, labor and materials. Habitat houses are affordable for low- income families because there is not profit included in the sale price, and no interest charged on the mortgage. The average length of a Habitat mortgage in the United States is 20 years. Families apply to local Habitat affiliates.
Every affiliate follows a non discriminatory policy of family selection.
Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families that receive Habitat houses. Applicants in Tillamook County must have been residents for at least one year. Donations, whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI headquarters, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI headquarters that are designated to a specific affiliate or project area are forwarded to that area. Any undesignated gifts are used where most needed overseas and for administrative expenses.