For buyers
Homebuyer education
Buying a deed-restricted home is not the same as buying on the open market. The price is lower and so is the ceiling on what you can sell it for. This page explains the trade honestly, before you apply.
What a deed restriction actually is
It is a legal agreement recorded against the property that stays with the house when it changes hands. It sets who may buy it, at what price, and under what conditions — and it binds the next owner the same way it binds you.
The purpose is straightforward. Public and philanthropic money, and a below-market price, went into making this home reachable. The restriction keeps it reachable for the household after you rather than converting that subsidy into a windfall for whoever buys first.
What you gain
A home you can afford now, at a price set by a formula rather than by what a second-home buyer from out of state is willing to pay. Fixed, predictable housing costs. Equity that builds as you pay down the mortgage. And in these particular houses, very low running costs, because the building makes its own power and catches its own water.
What you give up
Speculative upside. When you sell, the resale formula sets the maximum price — you will not capture the full market appreciation, because capturing it would destroy the thing that made the house affordable in the first place.
You also accept limits on how the home is used and to whom it can be sold. These are real obligations, not paperwork.
Obligations that come with the home
- Owner occupancy. These are homes to live in.
- Buyer qualification. The next buyer must qualify under the same income standard you did.
- Resale price formula. The restriction sets the maximum price.
- Notice on sale. Putting the home up for sale triggers automatic notification.
- Co-ownership rules. Who may be on title is defined.
- Enforcement timelines. The agreement sets out what happens, and when, if terms are not met.
At closing
Your title agent signs an acknowledgment confirming the restriction is recorded and understood, and you sign a buyer orientation certificate confirming that the terms were explained to you. Both exist so that no one arrives at a resale years later surprised by what they agreed to.
Get your own advice
Read the restriction in full before you sign anything, and have your own attorney and lender read it too. We will send you the complete document and its appendices on request — not a summary. This page is an explanation, not legal advice, and nothing here overrides the recorded agreement.
How the process runs
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Register your interest
Tell us who is in your household and what you are looking for. No commitment, and no fee.
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Read the documents
We send the deed restriction and its appendices in full, along with the income standards that apply. Take them to your own attorney and lender.
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Qualify
Household income and eligibility are checked against the published standard. Getting pre-approved by a lender at the same time saves weeks later.
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Orientation
We walk you through the obligations in person and answer questions, then you sign the buyer orientation certificate.
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Closing
Your title agent acknowledges the recorded restriction and the sale completes.
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Living in it
These houses are operated, not just occupied. We show you how the systems work — water, power, waste, seasonal ventilation — and you keep the documentation.
Register your interest
This is not an application and it commits you to nothing. It puts you on the list to hear when homes and income standards are published.
Nothing on this page is an offer to sell, and it is not legal or financial advice. Availability, pricing and income limits are set by the recorded deed restriction and the program documents. Read those, and take your own advice, before you commit to anything.
Want to understand the house itself?
Our foundation course is free and explains how these buildings work — why they hold temperature without a furnace, where the water comes from, and what you are actually operating when you live in one. It is a good thing to do while you are deciding.