How to Apply for Section 8 Housing

You may or may not be aware of the United States Housing Act of 1937 which requires states to subsidize housing for low-income families through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD administers housing voucherssection 8 housing in florida for those who cannot afford to pay the full price of housing through the local Public Housing Authorities. The PHA has two options for vouchers; one is called tenant-based voucher and one is the project-based voucher. Under the tenant-based voucher, a voucher is provided for the tenant to use in any housing of their choice that offers financial assistance housing so it is valid for more than one area; if the tenant wishes to move, the voucher will carry over. The project-based voucher is valid only for the specific housing unit for which it has been assigned and if the tenant moves, they must reapply for financial assistance. So how exactly do you go about getting this help?

When it’s time to apply for Section 8 housing, be sure to find out where your nearest PHA office is. You can call them to ask about filling an application out online or in person. Either way, there are some things you will need in order to complete the paperwork. The first thing to consider is your eligibility which will be based on several factors. These include your annual gross income, your family size, your immigration status (section 8 is usually only available to US Citizens and persons with legal immigration status), and the median income of the area/city in which you are applying. Most applicants who are eligible for Section 8 are earning annually between 30% and 50% of their area’s median income figures.

Once you have assured yourself of your eligibility for the program, the next step is to collect the necessary paperwork to document your income and prove your need. This will require pay stubs, a letter from your current landlord, any documentation regarding current mortgage or rent payments, and any other paperwork you think will help you in preparing your application. An important thing to remember here is that there are different types of vouchers so you must pick the right one. There is a tenant voucher if you are planning on renting and there is also a property voucher if you simply need assistance paying a housing mortgage or a condominium payment. Note that Section 8 may also be able to help you purchase a small home for a cheaper price to allow you to make small monthly payments on it.

After you have gathered all of your information, determined your eligibility, and understood which voucher you are applying for, you simply call or visit your local PHA office and Voila! The hardest part of the whole process is the waiting game that follows. Because many families apply for Section 8 and there is not always enough housing to accommodate everyone on the list, your name will be placed on a waiting list depending on your need. Your waiting time will vary from city to city but hopefully before long, you will be able to live somewhat comfortably in your new home.

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.

Should I Buy a Home in the City or a Home in the Suburbs?

It is difficult to compare things you have yet to experience but it makes it easier looking at the list of pro and cons.  If you were to consult your friends and family on if you should live in the city or suburbs, chances are they would be partial to wherever they currently reside.  Everyone has different thoughts on this because of the different personalities and different times of their lives; it is up to you to decide where you fit in the equation.

Urban living would be mostly enjoyed by the people that enjoy the day to day hustle and bustle.  These are the people that enjoy things being very close, even walking distance.  The city is where all the action is. From a great diversity of people to an array of civic centers to theaters.  The city would be good for people that enjoy staying socially active whether it’s meeting new people, joining the masses at bars, clubs, restaurants or other entertainment venues.  The greatest thing about urban type people is their work is typically situated within a short bus, train, taxi ride or even walk from their front door to their desk.  These places have been well planned to save the city dwellers money on car expenses like fuel and car costs.  Typically the housing situation is make or break, you either love not having a yard to take care of, and you love the condo living or this ends up being your worst nightmare.  Other people loath the thought of parking in a garage with a hand full of grocery bags, riding up an elevator 15 floors and repeating this escapade three times until the car is completely empty.  This would lead you to the other alternative, living in the suburbs.

Suburban living is for the people that enjoy the peace and quiet along with the escape or get away from the stresses of life.  The suburbs allow you your own personal space, more land and larger areas for a house.  The cost of living is typically lower and there is a greater opportunity to own your piece of the pie unlike the city living.  Suburban living is about raising families, enjoying the company of neighbors, cookouts and pool parties.  The suburban living consists of doing house work, yard work and car washing during the weekends and quite Friday and Saturday evenings.

Whether you are looking to live in the city or live in the suburbs you can always find the best research through www.MoversAtlas.com, happy hunting.

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.

Awesome Tips To Help You Save For A Down Payment On Your New Home!

Over the past 10 years or so the amount of money needed for a down payment on a house has fluctuated from 20% to 0%, back to 20% and everywhere in between and now people are looking to put down even more money when they buy a Advice on saving for a house down paymenthome.  The economic downturn has made people realize that being debt free relieves a lot of stress and takes a huge weight off your shoulders allowing you to live more comfortably.  Paying for a house with cash seems impossible but more and more people are waiting longer and saving more to put down as much as they can 30, 40, and even 50% or more to avoid the major issues that many homeowners experienced just a few short years ago.

Saving up for a house seems overwhelming to most but if you break it up into bite size pieces or baby steps it really is doable and when you see that first 10% in your account it will put a lot of wind in your sails to continue the course of saving.

The first thing you should do would be to get out of as much of your debt as possible. This includes credit cards, car payments, student loans, and anything else that forces you to shell out hundreds of dollars of your hard earned income each month.  It may seem stupid but take that $300 dollars a month for a car, add $175 for the student loans and another $250 for credit cards this grand total $725 dollars a month.  If you are the average American and you bought a car that was $30,000 and pay upwards of $400 a month in car payments you should consider moving down into a car you could pay cash for to free the money up or at least trade in for a less expensive car that includes less expensive monthly payments!

There are a number of other things besides reducing your debt that can free up extra cash to help you save for a home. Things like your morning Starbucks, Friday night pizza, Saturday night drinks, and going out to eat or even that $130 cable bill.  All of these items add up very quickly but keep in mind you are setting a goal to PURCHASE A HOME, this should keep you motivated and skimping on these things now will pay off in the long run. But don’t worry, you aren’t giving up these things forever. Once you buy your home you can add these little luxuries back into your budget.  From the famous talk radio host Dave Ramsey would say “If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else”.

Another good kick starter to your down payment fund is a garage sale or Ebay sale.  If you look around your house there are probably things you haven’t touched in years like those mountain bikes in the garage, electronics sitting in your entertainment center or maybe even something larger like a motorcycle or jet ski.  My advice would be to go through all of your stuff you can part ways with and put a price on them.  You will be surprised at how much money you can make with a little effort and a Saturday sale. You could potentially bring in $1000 or $1500 or more to go towards your home fund.  Keep in mind once you are in your new home and you put a large down payment your mortgage payments will be much lower and making it easier to afford some of the items you sold down the road! We went over the easy stuff…now it is the time to roll up your sleeves and get serious about saving.

At this point you have gotten rid of the debt, sold almost everything except for the neighborhood cat and you have a surplus of money being saved but you want more.   This is the prime time to get a second job!  Sure you can’t possibly find another 40 hours a week but what about another 20 hours only a few nights a week bartending or serving tables?  It sounds crazy but another potential few hundred dollars a week could really expedite the saving process and even cut that 3 year savings plan way down.  Just keep in mind none of this is permanent; you are making sacrifices for a short period of time to achieve a huge goal.  In the end it will be all worth it.

To put things into perspective it is most useful to place these items on paper, make a monthly budget with your savings on the top. You can even create a chart that you color  in as you hit your milestones…Make it fun! You can hang this chart onto your refrigerator or somewhere you can look at it every day and celebrate when you reach different goals.  Without digging too deep you will find hundreds of dollars a month on things that can be eliminated and directed towards your house fund.

If you have any additional saving tips that we missed add them in the comments section of this post!

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.