The city of Marietta and Cobb Housing, Inc. (CHI) July 15 hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony of a new home located at 535 E. Fort St., one of several new homes in Marietta sold by CHI to low-to moderate-income first time homebuyers.

Through the Marietta Initiative for Neighborhood Transformation partnership (MINT), CHI purchases old and run-down housing units, rehabilitates or rebuilds them, and sells them to qualified low-to-moderate income families for homeownership, and will continue those activities in areas specified by the city as part of the MINT Program.

This new home is a result of partnerships Marietta has formed with residents and businesses in the city, city manager Bill Bruton said. "It's been said from the beginning by the City Council, Mayor Dunaway and CHI that we all want to work together and be able to say that the best house on the lot is the one we built."

The MINT partnership transforms neighborhoods by replacing older homes in need of repair with affordable, quality homes. Six new homes have been sold to first-time homeowners within the last year and six additional homes are expected to be built within the next several months. Prices range from $150,000 - $165,000 for these three-bedroom, two-bath homes. Other homes for sale that are completed or under construction are located at 44 Griggs Street and 91 Griggs Street.

All homes are constructed under the MINT partnership include HardiPlank (concrete) siding, large front porches, and crawl space foundations. The homes also meet the EarthCraft House Program Certifications, which is administered by the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association and the SouthFace Energy Institute of Atlanta.

Building plans consider site conditions and window orientation to help lower heating bills in winter and keep the home cool in summer. Design plans also consider the type of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit, its location and duct layout to allow the home owner to save on utility costs as well.

CHI's EarthCraft House Program helps the environment by recycling building waste materials and transforming them into useful products such as mulch for erosion control, soil amendment, and landscape material and road base. Grants from the Home Depot Foundation have allowed CHI to offset the additional costs necessary to include EarthCraft material and labor.

Cobb Housing's Homeownership Assistance Department offers free homebuyer education, down payment assistance up to $7,500 and individual counseling to help customers become qualified for a mortgage.

For more information, call Cobb Housing, Inc. at 770-429-4400.