Publisher information
Sources & Methodology
We translate public program information into educational tools and guides. This page explains the boundary between a useful screening result and an official answer.
Primary sources
We prioritize materials published by USDA Rural Development, including its official property-eligibility resources, income-limit publications, regulations, handbooks, notices, and program pages. We may also use Census geocoding or other public geographic data to locate an address.
Address-check methodology
- An entered address may be standardized or geocoded to coordinates.
- Those coordinates are compared with the USDA Rural Development geographic layer available to the service.
- The result is presented as a screening indication with source and boundary warnings.
Income information
Published income limits are geographic and may vary by household size and program. Eligibility calculations can include household members and permitted adjustments differently from lender qualifying income. Our tables and examples are educational; an approved lender or USDA office must evaluate the complete household and current rules.
Guaranteed and Direct are different
USDA’s Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program and Section 502 Direct Loan Program have different administration, underwriting, pricing, and eligibility details. We identify the program when a distinction is material. A statement about one should not be assumed to apply to the other.
Freshness and verification
Each substantive page should identify its review date or source context. We re-check time-sensitive claims when a known material publication changes, but we cannot guarantee immediate detection of every agency update. Readers should follow the cited official source for the latest controlling information.
Limitations
USDA.properties is not a lender, broker, government agency, law firm, appraisal firm, or housing counseling agency. We do not underwrite loans, inspect properties, calculate an official adjusted household income, or make credit decisions.