Urbandale’s inventory rose to 92 active single-family homes in March 2024—still 30 % below pre-pandemic norms—pushing the median sale to $285k. New construction dominates the western fringe along NW 156th, where lot sizes average 0.25 acres and base prices start at $350k. Existing homes built between 1975–1995 supply the entry-level segment; expect 1,350 sq ft three-bed ranches listed at $240–260k, often receiving offers within 5 days.

• Price per square foot: $155, up 4 % year-over-year
• Average days on market: 18 (down from 22 last spring)
• List-to-sale ratio: 99.3 %, so lowball offers rarely succeed

Property taxes are assessed at 100 % of market but homestead credit knocks $4,850 off the taxable value; military veterans receive an additional $2,778 exemption. Closing in June? Ask your NMHL loan officer to escrow 13 months of taxes up front—Polk County’s fiscal year starts July 1, and the first installment is due September 30.

Lions Walk & Golf Course Terrace
Tree-lined streets winding around the Urbandale Golf Course. 1960s–1980s split-levels trade $290–340k; HOA is voluntary. Kids attend Webster Elementary (rated 9/10). NMHL recently closed a VA IRRRL here, dropping the borrower’s rate from 5.75 % to 3.875 % and saving $217/month.

Rolling Green & Karen Acres
Affordable pocket west of 70th and south of Douglas Parkway. Expect 1,200 sq ft three-bed ranches at $230–250k. Perfect for FHA plus $12,500 FirstHome grant; total cash to close can be under $2,500 when seller covers $3,000 in concessions.

Urbandale Prairie (new construction)
A 109-lot development by Kimberley Development with walking trails and a 4-acre pond. Prices $350–450k. We qualify buyers using extended-rate locks up to 120 days; if rates drop before completion, float down once for free.

Iowa Finance Authority’s FirstHome program offers $12,500 in down-payment assistance that’s forgivable after five years—no monthly payment, no interest. Combine it with:

• FHA (3.5 % down) → effective down payment becomes negative after closing-cost credit
• Conventional 97 (3 % down) → out-of-pocket drops to roughly $1,000
• VA → use the grant to cover the 1 % funding fee for veterans rated 0 % disabled

Homes for Iowans (no first-time-buyer rule) gives $10,000 assistance and allows household income up to $139,000 in Polk County—handy for repeat buyers relocating to Urbandale from Ankeny. Urbandale’s Share the Luv down-payment fund, administered by IMPACT Community Action, adds up to $5,000 for households at 80 % AMI; we layer this behind IFA grants to cover every penny of cash requirement.

If your credit report shows a 580–620 score, you’re not sidelined. Our three-step Recovery Roadmap starts with a tri-merge pull at our 11401 Forest Ave office—free and soft, so your score doesn’t drop. Next, we run CreditXpert What-If simulator: last month an Urbandale renter on Douglas Parkway gained 42 points in 23 days by paying two cards down to $0 and becoming authorized user on Mom’s 12-year-old card. Finally, we pair the new score with an FHA 3.5 % down loan and request up to 6 % seller concessions to wipe out closing costs.

For borrowers one year out of Chapter 7, we can approve FHA with 20 % down, or 10 % using the Back-to-Work waiver if the hardship was medical or job-loss related. If you completed Chapter 13 yesterday, we still have options: non-QM bank-statement loans at 15 % down, or rent-to-own via our NMHL Pathway program that credits 20 % of monthly rent toward future purchase.

With 14 % of Urbandale workers classified as self-employed, NMHL built a dedicated 1099 desk. Qualify with 12 months of personal or business bank statements; we count 100 % of deposits after removing nonsufficient-fund fees. Average monthly deposits of $9,500 equals usable income of $9,500—no tax-return haircuts. Credit scores as low as 660 accepted with 10 % down; 700+ drops it to 5 %. Loans up to $1.5 million for the custom builds west of Northpark Drive.

Prefer to stay conventional? Use Freddie Mac Self-Employed with one year of tax returns and a YTD profit-and-loss; works great for real-estate agents who had a slow 2022 but rebounded in 2023. We recently helped an Urbandale Realtor whose Schedule C showed $42k but 2023 bank statements showed $118k—bank-statement program approved her for $425k with 15 % down and no PMI.

Polk County recorded 18,000 veterans as of 2023, and Urbandale’s 50323 and 50322 zip codes house a growing share. NMHL’s VA specialists—many veterans themselves—know how to maximize benefits:

• Funding-Fee Waiver: Veterans rated 10 % disabled or Purple Heart recipients pay 0 %—we’ll front the $4,000-$9,000 savings into your offer price.
• $0 Down to $766,550 in 2024; jumbo VA available above that with 25 % down on the difference.
• VA IRRRL (streamline refi) closes in 17 days and requires no appraisal—perfect when values plateau.

Last quarter we helped a 42-year-old Army Reservist buy a $310k ranch in Karen Acres with 4.5 % rate, seller paid $10k in concessions, and borrower walked in with $0—only prepaid taxes and insurance.