Is any part of Hamilton County eligible for a USDA loan?

The mechanic is simple and easy to get wrong. USDA publishes a property eligibility map, and a specific address either falls inside an eligible area or it doesn't. Town boundaries and zip codes are a rough guide; the map is the authority. Checking a serious address takes about a minute.

The maps also move. As areas grow, previously eligible ground comes out, and rural designations are periodically revised. A property that qualified for a neighbor two years ago may not qualify now, and the reverse happens too.

Alongside the property test there's a household income test, which varies by county and household size. Both have to be satisfied, so a buyer can be eligible on the address and not on the income, or the other way around.

For a buyer looking at the northern half of Hamilton County, check every address you're serious about before ruling the program out. No down payment for eligible borrowers is a large enough advantage to be worth one minute of checking.

The income test catches people the property test doesn't. USDA sets a household limit by county and household size, and it counts the income of adults in the household rather than just the borrowers on the loan. A household that looks comfortably under on paper can be over once everyone is counted, so run it properly rather than estimating.

The property itself has to pass too. USDA financing is for a modest, safe, sanitary home you intend to live in, and the appraisal is asked to confirm the condition rather than only the value. A fixer with real problems is a poor candidate. A well kept older house in an eligible area is usually fine.