Home Buyer Programs

Our Campaign promoting Home Ownership includes activities such as home buyer education, pre-purchase and credit counseling sessions and down payment financial assistance.

If you plan to purchase a home in the near future, our HUD and MSHDA-approved housing counselors can walk you through the steps of buying a home and help you create an effective action plan to help you get started.

TIP: Ask your counselor about down payment assistance and how it may help lower your monthly mortgage expense.

• Step 1 - Home Buyer Education

  LOOKING TO BUY A HOME?

  CFH can help make the homebuying experience a winning experience! Learn what you need to know about the homebuying process, what steps to take and what pitfalls to avoid. Our 8-hour HBE workshop satisfies homeownership educational requirements by HUD, Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), Rural Development, as well as local City down payment assistance and NSP programs.

  Our HBE curriculm is delivered by experts and professionals from our community. Don't be surprised to see a local Realtor, Lender, Appraiser or Home Inspector sharing their knowledge with our participants at our workshops!

  This cost for the live workshop is affordable at $25 per participant (effective July 1, 2022), but the information delievered is invaluable --it could save you thousands as a new homeowner!

  HBE training is available online for participants who need the convenience of learning from home or at work. The online course fee is $99 per household (effective May 21, 2022) and is nonrefundable.

  Visit our event calendar page to register for either session. All fees are nonrefundable.
• Step 2 - Pre-purchase & Credit Building

  Meet with a certified housing counselor one-on-one for personalized assistance to identify your needs and develope an action plan to become a homeowner. A counselor will review your credit report and help you address any credit issues you may have; determine your affordiblity range according to your budget; and create an action plan with specific steps you may take to realize the dream of homeownership. The pre-requisite for this step is attending Home Buyer Education.
• Step 3 - Down Payment Assistance Application

  As a first time home buyer, you may be eligible for Down Payment Assistance (DPA) or a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC). Our certified housing counslors are well versed in the DPA and MCC programs and will show you how to gain access to them prior to purchasing your first home.

  Down Payment Assistance offers low or zero interest rates, deferred payments and in some cases, forgivable loans.

  A Mortgage Credit Certificate may offer a tax credit for a portion of the mortgage interest you will pay annually. In most cases, you are able to utilize the tax credit year-after-year, as long as you occupy the home as your primary residence, have the original first mortgage and income qualify.

  Talk with a housing counslor to learn more about income qualification requirements for these programs.
• Step 4 - Loan Document Review

  CFH's committment to education and counseling doesn't end after the first workshop --or the first counseling appointment. In fact, after you have been approved for a mortgage and you've located your dream home, a housing counselor will meet with you again to review your final loan and/or purchase documents to help explain the complexities and legal terms of the documents.
• Section 32 - High Cost Mortgage Counseling

  Home purchase mortgage loan or refinance mortgage loan counseling for Section 32 Loans considered "High-Cost."

  Step 1: Sign up for online Home Buyer Education at the link below. SELECT E-HOME, ONLINE HOME BUYER EDUCATION. The nonrefundable cost is $99.

  http://www.centerforfinancialhealth.org/programs_and_services/online_classes.html

  Step 2: Complete the E-home class.

  Step 3: Check your email. You will receive an email with an intake packet after registration. Print the attachments, complete them in full and return them to us by email or fax with the items listed on the check list.

  Step 4: An individual counseling session will be scheduled within 1-2 weeks with a housing counselor, either by phone or in person.

  Click on link to email request for more information.