Ask Mr. Answer Person: "Is a Habitat for Humanity house for sale?"

"Not Paul Scott" asks Mr. Answer Person: "I see the house at 1117 Division Street in Decorah has a for sale sign in front of it.  That's a Habitat for Humanity House.  How does that sale work?  Do the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity?  If not, aren't the current owners taking advantage of the generosity of all the people that worked to build that home?  Are they allowed to sell it for a profit?"

Mr. Answer Person says: "Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity has built 27 houses since 1995.  The families selected for these houses invest "sweat equity" by participating in the construction of the house.  Then, when the house is completed, they purchase the home through Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity, receiving a zero-interest mortgage.

WCHFH Executive Director Gus Johnson says once the families own the house, they can sell it just as if it were a regular house.  In the case of the family who owns the house on Division Street in Decorah, they might be moving to Minnesota, so the house has been put up for sale.

If the house is sold, the owners will first have to pay off the mortgage they hold with Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity.  If there are funds left over, the money goes to the homeowners--just like it would do in the sale of a regular home."