Home repairs piling up?

Debbie Schulz of Edmonds didn’t know what she was going to do when her water heater went out and she needed a new furnace.

But a neighbor told Schulz, 44, about the Housing Authority of Snohomish County and its rehabilitation loan program.

“I thought, ‘You never know,’ ” Schulz said.

She filled out the paperwork and was approved for a no-interest loan with a deferred payment.

Before long, the home she had lived in for 17 years was weatherized with new windows and insulation, and even a new furnace.

“It’s so nice because the windows don’t leak,” Schulz said.

When lead paint was discovered in a garage door, Schulz had that replaced, too. With the rest of the loan money, she replaced old appliances.

The rehabilitation loan program is a way for lower-income homeowners to secure a home improvement loan. It covers much of Snohomish County, excluding residents in the city limits of Everett and Bothell and people in mobile homes living inside parks.

Everett residents can take advantage of the city’s Community Housing Improvement Program, and some Bothell homeowners may be eligible to participate in King County programs.

The housing authority program has been in place for almost 30 years with money from the county’s Community Development Block Grant and HOME programs.

Jackie VanAssche, rehabilitation loan specialist with the Everett Housing Authority, said the program averages about 35 loans per year. Loan amounts vary from $3,500 to $60,000 and have an interest rate of 0 percent to 3 percent.

“You don’t have to be a senior or disabled,” VanAssche said. “The program is for everyone.”

Eligible participants need gross annual incomes below $43,050 for one person, $49,200 for two people, $55,350 for three people and $61,500 for four people.

If applicants take a no-interest loan, they pay it back if the house is sold. Those paying back the loan at the 3 percent rate begin that process one month after the rehabilitation work is complete.

Applicants must meet program guidelines that include owning and occupying their home, having 20 percent or more equity in the home after the rehabilitation, and needing a repair that is a health or safety issue.

“People have to have one of those in order to qualify for the loan,” VanAssche said.

Health and safety issues include those involving a roof, a foundation, the electrical or plumbing systems and dry rot.

During the time of the repairs, Schulz, thanks to the loan, switched from using oil heat to natural gas. The move has saved her money on heating bills, and the new windows and appliances have reduced her electricity bill significantly, too.

Schulz, who is on disability, will pay back her loan when she goes back to work or sells her home.

“It wasn’t something just given as a handout,” she said.

The rehabilitation work on Paulette Liddell’s Lynnwood home only took a few months.

Liddell has lived in the house since 1994 and heard about the program through a senior advocacy group. Her husband, who has passed away, had been sick and she needed help with some important work in their home.

“The hot water tank was really bad, and it leaked all over,” Liddell said.

With her rehabilitation loan of $40,000, Liddell replaced the water tank and the damaged tile and floor, had a new toilet installed and repaired her roof.

“Thankfully they got to me because I had water damage,” Liddell said. “It would have gotten worse.”

The loan process can take up to four weeks, and VanAssche makes appointment for visits to the home. There is no waiting list for loans right now.

“We are here for everybody,” Van­Assche said. “To make people’s homes warm and safe and keep them in their home.”