Bridgeport’s housing supply sits at 2.1 months—tight by any standard—yet prices remain approachable for families fleeing $500k markets in northern Virginia or Ohio. New construction is concentrated in Charles Pointe, where Ryland Homes and D.R. Horton release 2–3 spec homes per month priced from $315k to $425k. Existing inventory skews older along Johnson Avenue and Lakeside Road; 1970s brick ranches on quarter-acre lots trade between $235k and $260k and often accept FHA 203k renovation loans—perfect for buyers who want instant equity.

Over the past 12 months, median days-on-market dropped from 28 to 18, and list-to-sale ratio climbed to 98.3%. Multiple offers are routine under $300k, so NMHL pre-underwrites your file within 24 hours, giving you the equivalent of a cash offer. Bridgeport High School’s 9/10 GreatSchools rating continues to anchor demand; homes zoned for that district sell for a 7% premium over county average.

• North View – Tree-lined streets, 1,300–1,600 sq ft ranches, $215k–$250k. Walkable to the new Kroger plaza and within Bridgeport HS district.
• Downtown Historic – Early-1900s colonials converted to mixed-use; qualify for 3% historic tax credit if rehabbing. Prices $230k–$280k.
• Meadowbrook Corridor – 1990s split-levels on generous lots; USDA eligible east of I-79; $240k–$290k.
• Charles Pointe – Golf-course community, 2,400–3,000 sq ft, energy-star builds, HOA $400/yr, $320k–$425k. Builders pay up to $5k in closing costs when you use NMHL’s preferred attorney.

If you need down-payment help, the WVHDF income limit for North View and Meadowbrook is $75,700 for a two-person household—well above Bridgeport’s median family income of $68,900—so most buyers qualify.

West Virginia’s First-Time Homebuyer Savings Account lets you deduct up to $25,000 in contributions from state taxable income—saving roughly $1,200 annually for a median earner. You can stack that with:

• WV HDF – $7,500 at 0% interest, forgiven 20% per year; no resale restrictions.
• Harrison County HOME – $7,500 silent second, 0%, due-on-sale unless you occupy 10 years.
• Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh – $5,000 grant for teachers, veterans, or first-responders; NMHL is a member institution so we secure these funds in 48 hours.

On a $250,000 purchase with 3.5% down ($8,750), combining WV HDF + Harrison County + FHLB can cover your entire down payment and still leave $1,250 for appraisal and inspection.

Bridgeport is 18 minutes from the 131st Airlift Wing at McGee Ranch and 25 minutes from the West Virginia National Guard in Morgantown, so a sizable share of buyers carry DD-214s. NMHL’s VA operations team has closed 96 VA loans in Harrison County since 2020, and we leverage the VA IRRRL to drop veterans from 6.75% to 5.25% without appraisals or income docs.

Because the county loan limit is waived for VA buyers, a Bridgeport physician relocating from Walter Reed can finance a $650k colonial in Charles Pointe at 2.15% funding fee—saving $18k upfront versus a conventional 10% down jumbo. Surviving spouses with VA COE can also access the $0-down benefit; we recently helped a widow purchase a $315k craftsman on Emily Drive with 2.3% funding fee rolled into the loan.

Harrison County’s average VantageScore is 692, but 31% of mortgage denials cite scores below 620. NMHL’s Fresh-Start roadmap has lifted Bridgeport clients 42 points in 90 days by:

• Paying down credit-card balances to under 30% utilization (adds 15–25 points).
• Negotiating pay-for-delete on old medical collections under $500 (adds 10–20 points).
• Becoming authorized user on a family member’s 5-year-old card (adds 15 points on average).

Once you hit 580, we lock an FHA 30-year fixed and float down the rate if you improve another 20 points before closing. Bridgeport landlords report rent to credit bureaus through ClearNow, so we can even use 24 months of verified rent history to offset thin files.

If your mid-score tops 640, we can switch you to a conventional 3%-down HomeReady loan and drop monthly mortgage insurance from 0.85% to 0.35%—saving $110/mo on a $250k loan.

With more than 1,300 sole proprietors in Harrison County—everything from oil-field service companies to Etsy retailers—stated-income options are critical. NMHL offers:

• 12- or 24-month business bank statements – Qualify at 100% of deposits for most industries; max 50% expense ratio.
• 1099 Only – Use last two years of 1099s plus YTD earnings statement; no tax returns; LTV up to 90%.
• Profit & Loss + CPA letter – For borrowers with clean books but heavy paper losses; acceptable up to $2 million loan size.

Recent example: a local freight broker showed $312k gross on 24-month statements but only $48k net on Schedule C; NMHL approved him for $475k at 15% down, 7.125% 30-year ARM, closing in 23 days.

Bridgeport’s cost of living is 18% below national average, so debt-to-income ratios stay within program guidelines even after accounting for accelerated depreciation add-backs.