King Farm Workforce Housing Program

• Description
• Eligibility
• Benefits of WFH Home Ownership
• Workforce Housing Restrictions
• How to Apply
• Random Selection Drawing Process
  
   
• Schedule an Appointment
   
• The Village at King Farm Sales Office
  (open by appointment only)
  801 Pleasant Drive, #25
  Rockville, MD 20850
  (301) 740-8888
   
• King Farm Workforce Housing Information Packet

DESCRIPTION

Montgomery County's King Farm Workforce Housing (WFH) program provides an excellent and affordable opportunity to own a home in Montgomery County.  The WFH Program offers affordably priced condominiums to homebuyers with household incomes between 71% and 120% of the Washington DC area median income (between $48,500 and $128,500).

WFH units are sold at below market sales prices.  The sales prices for the WFH units are determined by the County, are based on the three income levels served by the program, and ensure affordable homes are available to each of the three income levels served by the program.

Median Income Group A prices are based on households with income of 71% to 85% of median.

Median Income Group B prices are based on households with income of 86% to 100% of median.

Median Income Group C prices are based on households with income of 101% to 120% of median.

An approximately equal number of units will be available in each of these three groups.

Sales prices are based on a calculation using the midpoint of these ranges.  The following chart outlines the 49 units available at King Farm, average square feet, approximate monthly homeowners' association and condominium fee, and average sales price.  This chart is for illustrative purposes only. The individual unit prices, sizes, and other related information will be provided to you by the Sales Representative once the income tier for which your household qualifies is determined.

 

Sample Village at King Farm Property Information
Median Income Group	Unit Type	Avg SF	# Avail	Avg HOA Fee	Avg Sales Price
A	2br/2.5ba	1,200	16	$336	$207,500
B	2br/2.5ba	1,185	16	$328	$258,400
C	2br/2.5ba	1,410	12	$342	$325,500
C	2brDen/2.5ba	1,618	2	$381	$362,200
C	3brDen/2.5ba	1,580	3	$395	$377,400

Priority Points

Priority to purchase a WFH home is given to participants who are eligible for the most "Priority Points." Eligible households meeting the income requirements receive priority points based on:

• Primary Employer (maximum 3 pts for this category)
  • City of Rockville (3pts), or
  • A business or establishment located within the City limits of Rockville (3pts), or
  • A public agency (1pt), or
  • A business or establishment located within Montgomery County (outside the City limits of Rockville) (1pt)
     
• Place of Primary Residence (maximum of 3 pts for this category)
  • Within the City limits of Rockville (3pts), or
  • in Montgomery County (outside the city limits of Rockville) (1pt)
     
• First Responders (maximum of 2 pts for this category)
  • Primary employment of at least one household member as a "first responder" such as police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians (2pts)
     
• Other Priorities (maximum of 2 pts for this category)
  • A household member participates in an employer housing assistance program as defined by DHCA (1pt)
  • The household currently owns or rents an MPDU within Montgomery County or the City of Rockville (1pt)
     

Each household is assigned a number of points based on how many of the priority criteria they meet.  The County assigns the household's priority points at the time the household's application is approved, and the points are entered into the applicant database maintained by DHCA.  The maximum number of Priority Points that a household can have is ten (10).

For details of the point system, please refer to Article III of "the Workforce Housing Units Declaration of Covenants for Sale Subdivisions" which you can obtain from the Sales Representative.

Restrictions

Because the WFH program is a County-sponsored affordable housing program, it has certain rules associated with purchasing a unit.  The rules are designed to ensure the unit remains affordable over time. As a prospective purchaser, it is very important that you understand the program's requirements.  These rules take effect beginning on the date of purchase and continue for twenty (20) years (the "Control Period").  See the Workforce Housing Restrictions section below for more details.

ELIGIBILITY

1. HOUSEHOLD INCOME RANGE
   
   Total household income is based on household size and determines the WFH median income group for an applicant.  To be eligible to participate in the King Farm Workforce Housing program, your total household income for your household size must be within the ranges listed for median group A, B, or C in the following chart (effective March 18, 2008, updated 10/23/2009):
   
    

   WFH Household Income Ranges
   Household Size	Median Group A 71% to 80% Household Income Range	Median Group B 81% to 100% Household Income Range	Median Group C 101% to 120% Household Income Range
   1	$48,500 to $61,500	$61,501 to $72,000	$72,001 to $83,000
   2	$55,500 to $70,500	$70,501 to $82,500	$82,501 to $95,000
   3	$62,500 to $79,500	$79,501 to $92,500	$92,501 to $107,000
   4	$69,500 to $88,000	$88,001 to $103,000	$103,001 to $119,000
   5+	$75,000 to $95,500	$95,501 to $111,000	$111,001 to $128,500

    

2. MORTGAGE PRE-QUALIFICATION LETTER
   
   Applicants for the MPDU purchase program must obtain and provide a mortgage pre-qualification letter from a developer preferred lender (contact sales office for a list).

   The pre-qualification letter is used to demonstrate that the applicant qualifies for a mortgage amount equal to or greater than the sales price of the WFH units and has adequate funds available to pay the down payment.

   Applicants who are unable to obtain a mortgage pre-qualification letter in the amount required, will not be eligible to participate in the WFH program.
   
   Pre-qualification letters from lenders other than a developer approved lender will not be accepted for purposes of the application. If you are approved to participate in the program, you are not required to use the developer's preferred lender to obtain you mortgage.

   In today's real estate market, lenders may require between three to ten percent down payment. The down payment can be paid using applicants funds or HOC and other local government financing assistance programs.

   The pre-qualified mortgage amount plus funds the applicant has available for a down payment must total an amount equal to or greater than the lowest sales price for the applicants median Income Group.  The following chart shows the minimum total amount for each median income range.
   
    

   Mortgage Pre-qualification Letter Minimums Village at King Farm
   Median Income Range	Kings Farm Lowest Sales Price
   Group A: 71% to 85%	$206,700
   Group B: 86% to 100%	$256,500
   Group C: 101% to 120%	$325,500

    

3. TOTAL ASSET LIMITATION
   
   Total household assets must not exceed 25% of the amount for which the household is pre-qualified by a lender.
   
   Using the example in the preceding paragraph, if your household is pre-qualified for a mortgage of $256,500, then your combined household assets may not exceed $64,625. DHCA will allow any monies used towards a down payment to be deducted from the asset calculation, up to 20% of the loan amount. Assets are defined as the amount of money, or value of the paid down payment, checking accounts, savings accounts, certificate of deposit and/or money market accounts, stocks and/or mutual funds, bonds, real property, less outstanding debt, and trust funds. Assets not included in this definition include the amount in tax deferred retirement savings plans, amount in tax deferred college savings plans, cash value of whole life insurance, automobiles (up to one per adult), and cash value of household furnishings and jewelry.
    
    
4. SIZE OF UNIT
   
   To be eligible to purchase a WFH unit, an applicant's household size must match the size of the unit they desire to purchase based on the number of bedrooms in that unit.  The chart below shows the number of household members and the corresponding bedroom size of units for which they are eligible to purchase at The Village at King Farm.
   
    

   Unit Size Eligibility Village at King Farm
   Household Size	Number of Bedrooms
   1 person	2 bedrooms
   2 persons	2 bedrooms
   3 persons	2 or 3 bedrooms
   4 persons	2 or 3 bedrooms
   5+ persons	3 bedrooms

    

5. Applicants in the King Farm Workforce Housing program MUST be able to:
   • pay a down payment, settlement fees including advance taxes and advance insurance, other closing costs, and a monthly mortgage payment, utilities, and other costs
   • be responsible for all home maintenance, home improvements, condo fees (if applicable), and compliance with homeowner or condominium rules and regulations

BENEFITS OF WFH HOME OWNERSHIP

• By purchasing a WFH home with a standard 30-year fixed rate mortgage, your monthly mortgage payment will not increase each year, unlike rent which landlords typically increase annually.
   
• When you sell your WFH home during the control period at the WFH controlled resale price, you will get back what you originally paid for the WFH, plus inflation, the cost of eligible improvements, and 15% of any increase in the market value
   
• When you sell your WFH home after the control period at a market resale price, you will keep half of the excess profit.

WORKFORCE HOUSING RESTRICTIONS

Homes that are purchased through the WFH program have certain controls designed to keep the home affordable. New and resale homes have a 20 year control period. These controls are in the form of restrictive covenants that state:

• During the control period, the owner can only sell the home at the DHCA established controlled resale price through the WFH program to an approved WFH program participant.
   
• When the property is sold after the control period, the owner must pay 50% of the excess profit to Montgomery County.
   
• During the control period, the owner must not refinance the property for more than the controlled resale price established by DHCA (owners are prohibited from refinancing the property based on the market value of the property).
  
  After the control period expires, owners are strongly encouraged to contact DHCA prior to refinancing their WFH.  Refinancing does not relieve the owner from making a shared profit payment to the County upon sale; therefore, it is important NOT to refinance for the full market value.
   
• During the control period, the owners must occupy the home as their primary residence. The unit may not be rented out.
   

If a unit is sold during the Control Period, a new twenty (20) year restriction period will be imposed from the date of the resale.  Once the units have been sold by the developer, the agency responsible for enforcing and administering the program's long-term rules and regulations is the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA).

Please refer to the King Farm Workforce Housing Information Packet for more details.

HOW TO APPLY

In addition, it is highly recommended that you attend a free First Time Homebuyer's Class to learn about the home purchase process and home ownership responsibilities.

• Click here to sign up for a Homebuyer's Class.

RANDOM SELECTION DRAWING PROCESS

For each phase or group of homes offered for sale (an "Offering"), DHCA processes a Random Selection Drawing ("RSD") which assigns a random number to each eligible applicant and generates a list for each Median Income Group. The list is sorted by number of priority points (high to low), and sorted within group and priority points by their random number for that Offering, for high to low. This list establishes the priority order in which applicants have an opportunity to purchase a unit.

The applicant in each Median Income Group with the highest priority points and highest random number will have first opportunity to purchase a home in their income median group, and so on.

This process is NOT a "lottery." Participants do not win a home; rather, they win the opportunity to purchase a home based on a number of factors.

There may be several RSD's throughout the sales process. Approved applicants for the King Farm Workforce Housing program, who have not already contracted to purchase a home, will be included in each King Farm Random Selection Drawing.

Deadlines for submission and approval of applications will be announced for each Offering and only those applicants who have been approved as eligible by that time will be included in the Random Selection Drawing.

Following the Random Selection Drawing, an RSD Results Report will be published on DHCA's WFH website.  A sales representative will then contact households in the order that they appear on the report to give them an opportunity to purchase a home by entering into a sales contract.  Households will only be given an opportunity to purchase a unit in their income band. Time will be of the essence as the sales agent will work down the list until all the units in the Offering are sold.

Please refer to the King Farm Workforce Housing Information Packet for more details.