can i buy a house with a arson felony?

You can buy whatever you want, provided you have the money. If you have to borrow, they may look askance at your conviction, but if you're working and earning an income, it may not matter.

I suppose you could but why and how would a house get an arson felony in the first place?

Assuming you are not paying cash for the house, the only thing that is likely to prevent you in buying a house is getting the financing. Home ownership is not prohibited based on criminal records.

If a criminal record prevented homeownership, the criminals all across America would be renters, which they are not. 

Yes, you can own a house. But, I cannot say for sure if you can get homeowners insurance, which is a requirement to get and maintain a mortgage.

Whatever you do, do not light one single candle in your home. Use battery operated candles.

I had a friend who had a condo on the market. The realtor had an open house when my friend was out of town. The realtor lit a candle, the type in a glass jar...and forgot to blow it out. When the candle burned down, it cracked the jar and set the place ablaze. Her insurance company tried to say she began the fire on purpose, somehow for personal gain. Crazy talk, she was in another state. And she did not even have a record of arson.

So, find out if the insurance company asks about a criminal history during the application process.

No law prevents it.  

No law prohibits a felon from buying a house. If your record interferes with maintaining a sufficient income, financing could be difficult.

Even a registered sex offender banned from being within 1000 yards of a school can legally OWN a house next door to a school, as long as they never go to the property.

Ron Akia A felony record won't even impact insurance rates, much less finding a policy.

Probably, but this depends on financing, insurance and a builder wanted to enter into a contract with you.  There is no way for a stranger on the Internet to know.

Yes.  No one is going to run a criminal background check on you through the purchase process.

You can if you can afford the repayments 

That's up to the loan company, but probably .........

As long as you have the cash, or obtain a mortgage, you'll have no difficulty although the one barrier may be in obtaining the required homeowners insurance.

Yes you can buy a house with an arson felony but your private mortgage insurance and your regular insurance for homeowners is going to be high. If they base their mortgage insurance upon a background check they didn't run a background check on me and the law does not require you to tell them hi I'm a convicted arson.