The Community Development Partnership (CDP), is partnering with NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions (NHS) to offer education and counseling services to first-time home buyers on the Lower Cape.
Based in southeastern Massachusetts, NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions is a leading housing service provider with more than 70 years of combined experience in affordable housing, community development and homeowner education and counseling. NHS believes that everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home, and currently serves more than 20,000 households annually.
Lower Cape residents will now have access to a range of counseling services in addition to the virtual workshops. Participants must register with the CDP in order to receive a referral for the following programs:
- The Financial Power Program includes individual and group coaching for those with a financial goal such as improving a credit score, saving money for a down payment on a home, improving your budget.
- Landlord Training is specifically designed to prepare the homebuyer who is purchasing a multi-family home, to be a landlord. This training is a follow up to the eight-hour homebuyer class.
- Reverse Mortgage Counseling provides counseling and information for homeowners 62 and older on reverse mortgages and other financial options by counselors trained in the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program.
- Foreclosure Prevention Counseling – A team of professionally trained foreclosure counselors will work with buyers and lenders towards a solution to avoid foreclosure at no charge.
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance – Free tax preparation for households with an annual income of $54,000 or less, the program provides free electronic federal and Massachusetts state tax preparation during tax season with the help of IRS-certified volunteers.
Through this partnership, Lower Cape residents will continue to have access to a virtual First-Time Home Buyer Course that provides information on credit health and budgeting, mortgage process and options, finding the right home and making an offer, appraisals, home inspection, legal procedures and protections, insurance protection, home energy audits and savings, and advice about ongoing homeownership. This new hybrid model is available in English and Spanish and includes three parts: a self-paced online program, a virtual class and a one-on-one counseling session. To register visit www.capecdp.org/affordable-housing/homebuyer- education.org The cost is $45 per household.
“This collaboration will strengthen, expand and improve the services both organizations are able to provide to residents in the service areas,” said Jay Coburn, president and CEO of Community Development Partnership. “The CDP has been offering classes to first time home buyers since 2007 and over 550 people have successfully completed the program.”
The Homebuyer Education Course has received the Massachusetts Home Ownership “Collaborative Seal of Approval” from the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association.
To find out more information about Community Development Partnership, visit www.capecdp.org
