Congratulations to the Washington State Housing Finance Commission!

iStock_000009450603SmallI’ve just learned that last month, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission did their 50,000 closing! In other words, WSHFC has helped over 50,000 families buy a home in Washington state using one of their first mortgage and down payment assistance programs. The 50,000th home buyers are from Federal Way and represent a typical Home Advantage home buyer:

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Home Advantage Mortgage with or without Points

2013-03-07_0746The Washington State Housing Finance Commission has recently offered more pricing options with their Home Advantage first mortgage program.  Originally, all Home Advantage products were priced with 1 point.  One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount and is paid at closing. This closing cost cuts into the down payment assistance that many home buyers are hoping to utilize when they are using the Home Advantage Mortgage program.

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Home Buyer Class in South Seattle

Seattle Home Buyer ClassesI will be teaching a Home Buyers Education Class with Ira Sacharoff of Better Properties Real Estate Seattle on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at the Skyway Public Library. This class is sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.

Students will learn about the home buying process and will receive a certificate at the end of the class making them eligible for:

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Washington State Down Payment Assistance Programs and Grants

2013-03-07_0746Washington State home buyers have several various down payment assistance programs available and they’re not just limited to first time home buyers.  These funds can go towards closing cost and the down payment of primary residence.

Here’s an updated list of what I have available.

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NEWS FLASH: Home Advantage Rebound DPA is no longer available

This morning I received an email from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission that one of the Home Advantage Rebound program has ran out of funds and is no longer available.  If you were planning on using this for your down payment assistance, and you have a transaction in progress, check with your mortgage originator asap to see if the funds were reserved. If they were not reserved, then you’ll need to come up with a “plan b”, which may include using their stand-by program Home Advantage.

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Burien Home Buyer Class on May 10, 2014

Seattle Home Buyer ClassesThe next home buyer education class that I’m teaching is coming up on Saturday, May 10th, 2014 at the Burien Library. Ira Sacharoff, Real Estate Broker with Better Properties Real Estate is my fellow instructor.

The class is sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Students who attend are eligible for programs like Home Advantage, House Key (state bond) or Home Possible as well as various down payment assistance programs and MCC (mortgage credit certificates) tax credits.If you are considering buying a home with your spouse, partner or friend, they need to attend the class too in order to qualify for programs. You do not need to be a first time home buyer to qualify for many of these programs. And you’re welcome to attend if you’re just interested in learning more about the process.

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House Key Washington State Bond financing to return

Washington State Bond House KeyIt’s anticipated that funds will become available for the House Key program in a couple weeks. House Key is the Washington state bond program that offers below market rates to borrowers that meet certain criteria, including income limits. Income limits vary by county and family size.

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WSHFC now offers reduced mortgage rates with no DPA

2013-03-07_0746The Washington State Housing Finance Commission offers several mortgage programs with various types of down payment assistance for home buyers. In order to qualify for the program, home buyers need to have household income of $97,000 or lower and attend a WSHFC sponsored home buyers class.

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