Chester County, PA - Financing https://chescofinancing.com/ Field notes on financing a Chester County house, a lot or a build: the 1996 assessment base, transfer tax municipality by municipality, wells and septic under Act 537, and how a draw schedule pays a builder. en-us Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Which parts of Chester County are USDA-eligible https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/usda-eligibility-chester-county/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/usda-eligibility-chester-county/ The zero-down program, how to run a Chester County address on USDA's own map, why the boundary moves, and what the site rules in 7 CFR 3555.201 actually require. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Chester County's $40,000 first-time buyer program https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/chester-county-first-time-buyer-program/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/chester-county-first-time-buyer-program/ The $40,000 second lien, the income table to eight people, the 20% down payment ceiling and the $15,000 liquid asset rule, plus the PHFA limits it sits behind. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Transfer tax in Chester County: 2%, 2.5% in Malvern and Tredyffrin, 3% in Coatesville https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/chester-county-transfer-tax/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/chester-county-transfer-tax/ Two percent almost everywhere, 2.5% in Malvern and Tredyffrin, 3% in Coatesville. Who is liable for which half, which transfers are exempt, and the dollar gap between a Malvern deed and a Downingtown one. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT 1996 assessments and the 30.6% CLR: reading a Chester County tax bill https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/chester-county-assessments-and-clr/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/chester-county-assessments-and-clr/ Why the assessment is a fraction of the price, what the 30.6% ratio and the 3.27 factor are for, and how county, municipal and school millage stack into one bill. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Wells, septic and Act 537: the two extra inspections when you buy land or a farmette https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/wells-septic-act-537-chester-county/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/wells-septic-act-537-chester-county/ FHA's well and septic standards, the stricter Chester County Health Department distances and water panel, what Act 537 means for a lot, and the township pumping rules on top. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT How a construction loan pays the builder: draws, inspections, the final conversion https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/construction-draw-schedule-explained/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/construction-draw-schedule-explained/ The single closing, how lot equity becomes the down payment, written authorization at each draw, the 12-and-18-month clock, the VA draw account, and what the builder has to produce. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Flood zones along the Brandywine and what they do to your loan https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/brandywine-flood-zones-chester-county/ https://chescofinancing.com/field-notes/brandywine-flood-zones-chester-county/ What the three Brandywine gauges recorded in 2021, the flood planning money since, and what a mapped zone does to insurance, escrow and the payment you qualify on. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT