A few Down Payment Assistance Program grants are still available for faculty and staff who purchase qualified homes in the Intown Macon historic district. The program, which is jointly funded by Mercer and the Knight Foundation, provides grants of up to $20,000 that come in the form of mortgages, forgivable over the first five years the resident lives in the home.
Historic Macon currently has two recently restored homes in the Beall’s Hill neighborhood that qualify for the down payment assistance.
Completely rehabilitated, a circa 1895 house at 1295 Ross Street boasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, dining room, large kitchen, den, and a wonderful interior deck. The house is approximately 2,200 square feet. The other home, at 1211 Ross Street, was built in 1864 and offers lots of historic charm with all the conveniences of modern construction. At approximately 1,925 square feet, the house has three bedrooms, two and one-half baths, large kitchen, large central hall, and glassed-in back porch. Also, the large front porch is perfect for outdoor entertaining.
Both of these houses are currently going through the State Historic Preservation Office’s Tax Abatement Program, which offers additional financial incentives for the owners. For more information about the homes, please visit www.historicmacon.org or call Chris Howard at (478) 742-5084.
For more information about the Down Payment Assistance Program, please call Gina Hall in the Benefits and Payroll Office at extension 2787, or visit the Down Payment Assistance Program web site: http://www2.mercer.edu/DPA.
