Home Improvement Loans & Grants for Your Summer Renovations

It’s summer time, which means it’s the perfect time for a home improvement or renovation project! Did you know that replacing your windows can get you an ROI of 85%? Not only will it help increase your home’s value, but it’ll get your home market ready if you’re ready to sell and could potentially promote energy efficiency in your home, saving you money in the long run. However, investing in a project with your own hard earned cash could be a hassle without help with loans or grants. That’s why it’s a good idea to explore available payment options before you start your project.

Before we jump in, it’s important to know the difference between a home loan and a home grant. A grant is money that is given to you without expectation of repayment, while a loan is money given with the expectation of repayment. Home grants are typically saved for home improvement projects that will ensure the safety and wellbeing of the home inhabitants while loans are more lax on what the funds can be used for.

There are a number of reasons why you may want to apply for a home improvement loan or grant, even if you have the money for the home improvement project. If you qualify for any of these loans or grants you should apply and see what you can get. You could save money in the long run or increase your credit score.

Renovating your home, whether you get a loan, grant, or pay for it yourself, is going to increase your property’s value, making it easier to sell later on. You could also increase your home’s energy efficiency by replacing old, warped, or broken appliances, windows, doors, siding, and other fixtures. Increasing your energy efficiency will save you money in the long run on bills and other expenses. Renovations will also make your home safer, replacing hazards and other dangerous quirks in your home. If you’re disabled, a loan or grant could cover the costs to make your home accessible, making it safer for you to access your home.

Taking out a home loan will help you raise your credit score because you’re paying on a loan over time. If you have the money for the project, setting it aside in a savings account and using it to pay off the loan over time will ensure that the home improvement project is beneficial, not just to your living conditions, but to your credit score as well. Just make sure that you make timely payments or the loan could have an adverse impact on your credit score instead.

It makes sense that upgrading your home would improve your home’s ROI percentage: by investing in home improvements, you are updating aspects of the property, making it newer, trendier, and more appealing. The more appealing a home is, the more likely it will sell for more money. You are getting a return on the investments that you put into the home because you are investing in the property itself, increasing its value with upgrades and renovations to make it newer, trendier, and safer.

The FHA 203K Rehab Loan is a loan offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that helps homebuyers and homeowners finance both the purchase (or refinance) of their home and the cost of its rehabilitation through a single mortgage. It offers a solution that helps both the borrower and the lender by ensuring a single, long term fixed or adjustable rate loan that covers the purchase and repairs of a single-family home.
In order to qualify for the rehab loan, your home must be at least one year old and the cost of rehabilitation must cost at least $5,000. The value of the property is determined by the value of the property before rehabilitation, plus the cost of rehabilitation or 110% of the appraised value of the property after rehabilitation, whichever is cheapest.
Similar to the FHA 203K Rehab Loan, the limited 203K rehabilitation mortgage loan is for those who would like to make renovations to their home, but do not qualify for the extensive rehabilitation that would be covered under the 203 K loan. The Limited 203K loan allows homebuyers and homeowners to finance up to $35,000 into their mortgage to repair, improve or upgrade their home. These house improvements can be to improve a home’s ROI for sale or to make simple repairs and improvements to the home.
Please note that while you only have to put up to 3.5% down on the Rehab Loan, you must pay a large portion of the mortgage insurance up front. Also, this loan type requires more paperwork than other loan types and all improvements must be completed by a FHA approved contractor.

There is a limit to the types of house improvements covered under the FHA 203K Rehab Loan. The types of improvements covered are:

To apply for the FHA 203K Rehab Loan, you must apply through a FHA approved lender, which you can search for using this tool provided by HUD.

The PACE loan program is perfect for you if you’re looking to make energy efficient upgrades to your home.This loan is specifically reserved for clean energy projects and is available for residential properties in California, Florida and Missouri as of September 2020.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages tied to this loan. The advantages are that approval is often easier than other loans, no down payment is necessary to acquire the loan, the assessment stays with the property, meaning that if you move you no longer have to make payments toward the loan, terms are flexible and interest payments may be tax-deductible. Some of the disadvantages are that payments may be due in large chunks once or twice a year, making the burden of paying the loan a little more strenuous, interest rates are higher than traditional loans, selling the property might pose more of a challenge, and there is a higher risk of foreclosure because of the assessment. This loan certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you’re interested in making your home more green, it’s a loan worth checking out.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program was created to help develop urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment for the people who live in that city. The program aims to do this by expanding economic opportunities for low and moderate income households. Authorized under Title 1 of the House and Community Development Act of 1974, the CDBG program is flexible to allow people and communities to implement strategies and designs that are tailored to their own needs and priorities, including house renovations.

Precision has 0% interest financing for one year! This is the best deal that you can get when it comes to a renovation project. There are three types of promotions available: the equal payment promotion, deferred interest promotion and fixed pay promotion.

The equal payment promotion has no interest charged and will have the same equal payments charged monthly. The cost for this promotion is figured by dividing the purchase price by the number of months in the promotional period.
The deferred interest promotion has a minimum monthly payment that is required to be paid, which varies based on the balance and the account terms. No interest is charged if the amount is paid in full within the promotional period, but interest will accrue at the standard rate if the account is not paid within the promotional period. Fair warning that the amount may not get paid in time if you’re only paying the monthly minimum, so it’s good to plan to pay more to keep the 0% interest financing promotion.
Lastly, the fixed pay promotion will have an APR that is charged on the promotional purchase from the purchase date. A fixed payment amount will be set to be paid monthly and the interest will be assessed at the reduced APR & equal payments amount until the account is paid in full.

Applying for Precision’s 0% interest financing is easy! All you need to do is go to https://www.mysynchrony.com/mmc/P1178446706 and fill out an online application. You will find out immediately via a credit decision if you’ve been approved. Once you’ve been approved you can start shopping for your home renovations and get the ball rolling on your home improvement project.

If you have a lower income family or are an elder living in rural Kansas or Missouri, this loan/grant was made just for you. There are two parts to the 504 Home Repair Program: the 504 loan and the 504 grant. The 504 Home Repair Loan is available to very low-income families living in rural Kansas who are looking to repair, improve or modernize their home, while the 504 Home Repair Grant is available to very low-income elderly families living in rural Kansas who need to remove safety hazards from their home.

The loan:

The grant:

The loan and grant may be combined for a total of $27,500 in assistance.

To qualify for the 504 loan, you must be the homeowner of the property, have a family income below 50% of the area median income and be unable to acquire affordable credit elsewhere. To qualify for the grant, you must be over the age of 62 and not be able to repay a repair loan. Area eligibility must be checked online using this tool. Applications for this program are accepted through your local rural development office.

Like the SAH grant, the SHA grant is specifically for disabled veterans who require alterations to their home to accommodate their disability. Unlike the SAH loan, you do not need to own the property that you are planning to renovate, but do need to plan to stay there for an extended amount of time. To qualify, you or a family member must own the home and have a qualifying service-connected disability, including the loss of use of both hands, certain severe burns and certain respiratory or breathing injuries. If you qualify, you could be granted up to $20,215 for the 2021 fiscal year.

You do not have to use the full amount of your grant this year. Once awarded, you can use money from your grant up to six different times throughout your lifetime.To apply for the grant, visit the eBenefits website linked here.

Do you qualify for a SAH or SHA loan, but are staying with a family member temporarily? You may qualify for a TRA grant instead. This grant helps make changes to a property to accommodate disabilities without the necessity of owning the property or planning to stay there long term. If you qualified for the SAH grant, you will receive up to $40,637, and if you qualified for the SHA grant, you will receive up to $7,256 through the TRA program for the 2021 fiscal year. To apply for the grant, visit the eBenefits website linked here

Are you an Olathe resident who is looking to make major repairs to their home? Income eligible homeowners can apply for an interest free, 0% deferred loan through the city. Monthly payments are not required on a deferred loan, so you can renovate now and pay later on the loan. The loan is deferred until the title transfers, the property is sold, or the property is changed from a single family home to a rental property. The loan limit per property is defined in the Deferred Loan Policies and Procedures, which you can find here

If you have a repair needed that would ensure your safety, or exterior maintenance that has been cited through the Community Enhancement program, then you may qualify for this grant. The grant covers income eligible homeowners that qualify according to the policies and procedures. You could be awarded up to $5,000 for the project and any requests for more funds may be made in writing to the Housing Services Manager.

The City of Independence is offering both the CDBG and HOME programs on a five year contingency plan, ranging from 2017-2021. If you’d like to apply for either grant, you may send in your letter of introduction and substantial draft of tax credit application of proposed projects to:
Neighborhood & Housing Services Division
111 E. Maple Ave.
Independence, MO. 64050

Kansas City offers the CDBG program, the Targeted Minor Home Repair Program, and the Paint Program.

Residents in these communities are welcome to choose two home repairs from the renovation list provided. These renovations include:

The Paint Program provides free paint and supplies to homeowners within the Kansas City area who qualify for the program. The homeowner gets to choose from over 450 color choices what color they would like to paint their home. There is no income requirement for this program, but the applicant must qualify in other ways, like:

The home must be prepped before the voucher can be provided. This prep process includes scraping all of the loose paint off of the home entirely, power washing the home to remove all dirt, grease and grime, and repairing any and all rotted wood. There are also a number of restrictions in this program, which include:

There are up to $10,000 in grant funds available to pay for minor exterior repairs. To see if your repairs qualify, contact Codes Administration at (816)969-6824.

The HOME Repair Program is available to Wyandotte residents. The purpose of the program is to spruce up select areas of Kansas City, KS by providing less privileged families the funds to make emergency repairs and other renovations that will make Kansas City, KS look nicer overall. To qualify for the grant, one must have an income at or below 60% of the HUD area median income guideline (at or below 80% for the Barrier Removal Program). Awarded grant funds are determined by the household’s need. These funds can be used to repair or upgrade:

Applications are accepted by appointment only. You may contact Julie Calderon at (913)573-5113 to schedule an appointment or ask any further questions you may have about the HOME Repair Program.

The City of Lawrence offers the CDBG grant, Emergency and Furnace loans, and Weatherization grant. While the City of Lawrence is not currently accepting applications for the CDBG and Weatherization grants as of the time this blog post is written, it is good to check in with the city often on their website at https://www.wycokck.org/CommDev/Programs.aspx to see when they are offering the programs again.
As the name suggests, the Emergency and Furnace loans program helps with emergency repairs and furnace replacements up to $5,000. To apply for the emergency funds, visit Lawrence online or in their Development Services Office.

The City of Leavenworth offers the CDBG program, using the funds from this program to offer the Home Repair Program, Home Ownership Assistance Program, Public Agency Funding and Demolition of Dangerous Structures. These programs are intended to aid low and moderate income families in Leavenworth in having safer and more sanitary living conditions, providing renovations for handicap accessibility among other renovations. The primary concern for the city is safety standards and code issues, so those are addressed first with these funds.
There are limited funds, which are sometimes depleted. If you are interested in applying for, or are interested to see if there are still funds available for any of these programs, contact the department at (913) 680-2627.

Both Platte and Clay County offer the 504 Home Repair Program. If you are interested in applying for this program, you can contact Platte County at:
Weston Housing Authority
526 Main Street
Weston, MO 64098
816-640-5711

And you can contact Clay County at:
Liberty Housing Authority
17 E Kansas St # 200
Liberty, MO 64068

There are numerous loans and grants available to reinvigorate your home. Whether you’re a low income household looking to make improvements for safety, a household looking to become more energy efficient, looking to improve your home to sell it or just wanting to make renovations and upgrades, you should be able to find a loan or grant available to you. Grants are specific to those in dire need, so it’ll be hard to get a grant without some kind of need, but there are plenty of loans available, regardless of need.
If you’ve been planning on upgrading or renovating your home, explore your options as far as loans and grants go, then call Precision to help you make your renovation dreams come true.