Buying and Fixing Up a Home in Fall River
Fall River’s housing grew up around its granite textile mills. Neighborhoods like Flint Village, the Highlands, Maplewood, and the North and South Ends are full of homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, including roughly 4,000 triple-deckers built to house mill workers and their families.
That history shapes how people here borrow. A first-time buyer may be looking at a two- or three-family house, living on one floor and renting the others. A longtime owner may be facing a new roof, windows, or a heating system on a hundred-year-old building. A mortgage covers the purchase, and a home equity loan lets you borrow against the value you have built up to pay for the work.
People’s Credit Union lends on owner-occupied two- to four-family homes with the same qualifications as a single-family house. In some cases, rent from the other units may count toward your income when you apply. Home equity loans on these properties always need a full appraisal, and that fee is paid by the borrower.
Getting Around From Fall River
Since March 2025, South Coast Rail has run commuter trains from Fall River Depot on Davol Street to South Station in Boston. For most trips, though, Fall River still drives, whether that’s Route 24 north toward Boston and south into Rhode Island, or I-195 east to New Bedford and west to Providence.
If a car is part of your commute, an auto loan from People’s covers new and used vehicles, and you can refinance a loan you already have to lower your payment.
Driving to a branch
Portsmouth is the closest branch: take Route 24 south through Tiverton and over the Sakonnet River Bridge. Bristol is the other nearby option, reached through Swansea and Warren.
