Short answerUSDA guaranteed loans require the home to be a modest, safe, sound primary residence in an eligible rural area, with property standards set in USDA's HB 1 3555, Chapter 12. Many areas outside larger cities in Southern Indiana may qualify, but eligibility maps change. Check any specific address on USDA's eligibility website before you plan around a USDA loan.
How do I check an address?
Enter it at USDA's property eligibility website, eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov, and confirm with a USDA approved lender. Do not rely on a town name alone; boundaries can split towns.
What property rules apply?
The home must be decent, safe, and sanitary, with adequate water, sewage disposal, heat, and access. Well and septic rules apply. Well and septic for government loans.
Frequently asked questions
Is my town eligible for USDA?
Check the exact address on USDA's site. Maps change.
Can I use USDA on acreage?
Often, if the property is residential and not income producing.
Keep reading
Want to know what a buyer's inspector may find before they do?
Book a free pre listing condition walk. I walk the house with you, point out what inspectors and FHA, VA, and USDA appraisers tend to flag, and give you planning ranges so you can decide what to fix, credit, price in, or disclose.
Book a condition walkOr call or text (812) 525-5489, or email [email protected].
The condition walk is a REALTOR® and contractor evaluation, not a home inspection, and it does not replace one. If you have already signed a listing agreement with another agent, please take these questions to your agent.
Looking at a house and not sure what you are getting into?
Ask for a free Before You Offer review. Send me the listing. I look over the photos, the seller's disclosure, and recent sales, then flag likely condition issues and planning cost ranges before you write an offer.
Request a Before You Offer reviewOr call or text (812) 525-5489, or email [email protected].
The Before You Offer review is a REALTOR® and contractor review of the listing, not a home inspection. It is for buyers who are not already working with an agent. If you have an agent, please bring these questions to your agent.
Sources
Written by John Long, REALTOR®, 1 Percent Lists Indiana Real Estate. Working contractor who has priced hundreds of home inspection repair requests. Former labor relations negotiator for a major manufacturer and U.S. Coast Guard veteran.
John Long, REALTOR® · 1 Percent Lists Indiana Real Estate · (812) 525-5489 · yourpropertynegotiator.com
This page is general information, not a substitute for a professional home inspection, and not legal, tax, insurance, or lending advice. Ask a real estate attorney about contracts and disclosure, a CPA about taxes, your lender about loan rules, and a licensed inspector or tradesperson about your house. Nothing here guarantees a sale price, net proceeds, repair cost, payment, timeline, appraisal, inspection result, or loan approval. Cost figures are planning estimates, not bids. I own Wardmark Property Operations LLC, a contracting company. You are always free to use any contractor you choose.