About Lycoming County, PA

Looking to purchase a home in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania?

You might want to make a quick check to see if you and the property are eligible for a USDA Mortgage, also known as a USDA Rural Development Loan. Here's Why... USDA home loans offer a few benefits that other mortgage programs cannot match: including no down payment and financed closing cost. If the home appraisal allows, the closing costs can also be wrapped into the mortgage resulting in no money needed at the closing table. USDA is the only mortgage program that allows for all closing costs to be financed into the loan amount on a home purchase. Interest rates for USDA mortgages are comparable and often lower than the low fixed rates of Conventional, FHA and VA financing. The USDA Mortgage program does have restrictions when it comes to location and income, so a quick check on this key qualifying criteria should be done first.

Benefits of the USDA Mortgage Program True 100% no money down financing. The ability to finance in your closing costs (if the appraised value supports the loan amt) The seller may contribute up to 6% of the purchase price towards your closing costs Low fixed interest rates. More flexible credit qualifying guidelines with minimum 620 credit score Often available for properties in towns and suburbs too

What areas of Lycoming County are eligible for USDA Financing?

The main areas of Lycoming County that are not eligible for USDA financing include Williamsport and South Williamsport. Shortly outside of the metro Williamsport area, the rest of Lycoming County becomes USDA Eligible.

USDA Eligible Areas in Lycoming County include...

• Antes Fort
• Balls Mills
• Barbours
• Bastress
• Biggertown
• Bodines
• Brady
• Bryan Mills
• Calvert
• Cammal
• Carsontown
• Cascade
• Cedar Run
• Clarkstown
• Cogan House
• Cogan Station
• Collomsville
• Crawford
• Cummings
• East Muncy
• English Center
• Farragut
• Faxon
• Gamble
• Glen Mawr
• Haleeka
• Halls
• Hughesville
• Huntersville
• Jersey Mills
• Jersey Shore
• Lairdsville
• Larrys Creek
• Larryville
• Leetonia
• Level Corner
• Linden
• Loyalsock
• Lungerville
• Marsh Hill
• Montgomery
• Moreland
• Muncy
• Muncy Creek
• Nisbet
• Okome
• Opp
• Oriole
• Oval
• Pennsdale
• Picture Rocks
• Pine Creek
• Pine Village
• Powys
• Proctor
• Quiggleville
• Ralston
• Ramsey
• Richards Grove
• Ross Siding
• Salladasburg
• Seagers
• Slate Run
• Sylvan Dell
• Tivoli
• Tomb
• Trout Run
• Unityville
• Wallis Run
• Warrensville
• Waterville
• White Pine

As always, if you want to find out if a specific property is eligible for a USDA Mortgage in Lycoming County, simply type in the address on the USDA Eligibility Map below....

USDA Property Eligibilty Map

What are the USDA Mortgage Income Limits for Lycoming County?

Household Size: 1-4 Family Members 5 or more Family Members

Maximum Adjusted Income $74,050 $97,750

If at first glance, it appears your household income exceeds the above limits, it is worth checking the USDA Income Calculator on the USDA website (link below). The USDA allows for several deductions which may allow your Household Income to fit within their Maximum Adjusted Income Guidelines.

USDA Income Eligibility Worksheet

Ok, the Property is in a USDA Eligible Area and your Household Income is within the USDA Income Limits, now what?

Like all mortgages, USDA Mortgages do require an applicant to qualify based on recent credit history. USDA credit requirements are some of the most flexible of any mortgage program available. More detailed information about USDA Mortgage Credit Requirements can be found with the link below...

USDA Credit Requirements

For buyers looking to purchase a home in Lycoming County Pennsylvania, the USDA Rural Development Mortgage is definitely worth a look. Feel free to contact me with any further questions about the program.

Yesterday’s blog was about the increase in the average sales price in my home market of Jersey Shore A (small town, western Lycoming County, North Central PA, nowhere near the “shore”) from $107,000 in 2010 to $129,875 (let’s just call it $130,000) in 2011. That’s a 21% increase. Part of it is due to the Marcellus Shale industry, which is heavily impacting our market. Part of it (a small part) is normal appreciation. Despite the talking heads on TV, not all markets are overrun with foreclosures and short sales.

Even in markets not as robust as ours, buying power is in real danger of being eroded away—by rising interest rates. Interest rates have been historically low, and very low, for longer than any other time in my career (which is over 30 years). Here’s the math: borrowing $130,000 at 4.5% for 30 years requires a payment of $658.69—very affordable, and less than most rents in our area, again due to the gas industry. However, inflation is rearing its ugly head; the last time we had a lot of inflation, interest rates soared to 18% to 20%. They don’t even have to go up that dramatically to erode buying power. If rates rise only 2%, to $821.69 becomes the payment on that same $130,000 loan for 30 years. The rate has gone up 2%; the payment has gone up 25%.

In our market, if you are credit worthy and can buy now, you should do so. Rates will eventually go up; prices already are going up. For more information on market conditions, visit our website: www.MJacksonRe.com

Jersey Shore, PA (Lycoming County) is a small borough at the western end of Lycoming County. It's my hometown. NO, we are nowhere near New Jersey or the shore. Our county seat (Lycoming County) is Williamsport, PA. I'm the REALTOR(r) in my town with the greatest experience; our company, Jackson Real Estate, was founded by my late mother in 1961.

We are at the very end of 2011, so we now have a pretty good view of how the Jersey Shore, PA market is going to end for 2011. We analyzed the market from January 1, 2010 through November 15, 2010; and again from January 1, 2011 through November 15, 2011. The news is mixed; the dollar volume and units sold are both down from 2011. In 2010, the Jersey Shore market by November 15 was $26.7 million; by November 15, 2011 it is at $24.9 million.

Units sold to this date in 2010 were 185; units sold to this date in 2011 are 139.

Here’s the good news: the average sales price increased from $107,000 in 2010 to $129,875 in 2011. That’s encouraging news for sellers in our market. If you are thinking about selling, it may be the right time.

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FHA 203K Loan / Lender - Smooth Transaction Guarantee! - Duboistown, Pennsylvania

Brent Kluge & Group is the leading FHA 203K lender in the Mid Atlantic for a reason... Service!

What you get when you finance your FHA 203k renovation project with Brent & Team:

• 16 Years of Renovation Mortgage Finance
• Communication & Clarity on Process, Costs and Expectations
• Experience looking out for your best interests throughout the entire process
  
• We check your renovation numbers to ensure you are NOT being overcharged!
• Brent Calls Balls/Strikes with all parties to PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS.

Check out Brent's website for further details:

Check Out our list of Satisfied Customers and what they have to say about Brent Kluge & Group.


The FHA 203K mortgage requires action early in the process to set the stage for proper transaction flow...


A phone call for a discussion about your project costs nothing... but you could save thousands.