Homebuyer Education Training
Summer Session Now Available
Home Start, Inc. offers pre-purchase education training and one-on-one counseling to first time homebuyers. We are a local non-profit organization that has worked with first time buyers for the past ten years, and have seen many clients become successful new homeowners in that time. While our program is geared for low and moderate income purchasers, it is beneficial to anyone purchasing a home for the first time. We have also taught a number of second-timers, those who previously owned homes and want to make sure they go about the process the right way this time around. We offer a thorough education and unique program to our clients.
We are a Fannie Mae-recommended housing counseling agency. Our program is also recommended by the Burlington County Community Development office. We are a participating agency with the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York's First Home Club program. We have trained clients going through the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development loan program. A number of local banks and lenders refer their clients to us for training before they are approved for loans.
It is our goal to fully prepare buyers for the home purchase process. We believe
that consumers must be educated in order to make wise decisions when buying a
home. Our program involves topics from understanding credit, choosing
between loan options and applying for a mortgage to signing contracts of sale,
understanding closing costs, and what takes place at settlement, and even
post-purchase home maintenance and finances. Unlike other workshops for
homebuyers, our program does not focus only on the mortgage qualification
process. There are many more steps involved in buying a home, and we want
our clients to be prepared for each and every one along the way.
We believe our education program is unique for a number of reasons. First, we are teaching from a curriculum that was developed by Home Start for Home Start. Over the years as certain things have changed we have continued to modify and update our materials. We believe that the curriculum is a comprehensive and thorough guide to the home buying process. Next, we are not just a housing counseling agency. Our organization is the only non-profit organization in the state of New Jersey licensed as a real estate brokerage. Our classes are taught by licensed New Jersey real estate agents and a NJ licensed Real Estate Instructor. Because we are active agents representing buyers in the marketplace we feel confident that our classes help provide clients real-world perspective on the current the market and understand its ups and downs. As a real estate brokerage, the majority of our business is in representing low and moderate income purchasers in the marketplace. We are involved on a day-to-day basis in a very real part of the business that we teach clients about.
Education is often a requirement for many loan and grant programs that offer financial assistance to low and moderate income borrowers and purchasers. Purchasers seeking Burlington County grant funding for closing costs and borrowers receiving CRA loans are examples of programs that require education. A number of clients are receiving loan products offered through their lender by Fannie Mae and don't even know it. Fannie Mae loans require homebuyer education. Some programs require clients to attend education again if it has been more than four or five years. Other programs, like the First Home Club through the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, require that clients attend during a certain point in their participation.
Our program doesn't stop after the education training. In pre-purchase counseling we sit down with clients one-on-one and discuss items like credit, savings, employment history, and other factors that figure into each individual or couple's readiness to buy. We understand that those planning to purchase homes in the future are seeking our help today because they recognize that they need time to prepare. There is no set point at which buyers must come to us to participate in our program. It is wise to begin as early as possible. There is no guaranteed time frame in which all clients can become homeowners. Each individual is different and has their own unique situation. We want our clients to give themselves enough time to learn so that they are prepared for the day when they start considering options in one of the most important decisions a person will ever make.
To find out more about our program and to discuss whether it is right for you, please contact us (see below).
A History of Home Start, Inc.
Our organization began in 1986 as a homeless shelter program known as The Salt & Light Company (read about our organization and its history). Over the years our mission has expanded to include other areas as well. In 1995 Salt & Light began working with homebuyers. Home Start was developed in 1996 specifically to offer counseling and education to first time homebuyers. At that same time, a county-wide group known as the Affordable Housing Coalition of Burlington County was in operation. The Affordable Housing Coalition was formed in 1988, with the help of our own president, Kent Pipes, to advocate for affordable housing options in Burlington County. Home Start worked in conjunction with the Affordable Housing Coalition to offer homebuyer education classes, and independently to provide one-on-one counseling to clients.
In order to apply for grant funding apart from that which was used for our other programs, Home Start became a separate company independent of Salt & Light. It operated successfully for four years counseling clients and preparing them for the home purchase, while also continuing to work with the Affordable Housing Coalition to provide homebuyer education training. Eventually the available grant funds for homebuyer training became scarce, and both Home Start and the Affordable Housing Coalition were affected. In June of 2001 Home Start returned to our organization, now The Affordable Homes Group, Inc (AHG). October of that same year saw the last seminar offered in conjunction with the Affordable Housing Coalition, which dissolved due to lack of available funding and support.
We at AHG felt it was important to provide homebuyer education, and decided that we needed a way to continue offering our program without outside funding. In the year 2000 we had formed our own real estate brokerage, Delta Real Estate, to represent The Salt & Light Company in the acquisition and sale of properties for housing renovation projects. It made perfect sense to pair our real estate brokerage with an education program for those trying to purchase homes, especially when focusing on our organization's primary mission: affordable housing solutions. And so Delta Real Estate began to sponsor Home Start. For over three years we provided our services to the public without direct funding from any bank, government, or other agency. With the help of two local banks, Commerce Bank and Susquehanna Patriot Bank (previously Equity Bank) we were able to pay the postage for our newsletter mailings and house our education classes. Now, thankfully, as the demand for our services has grown, so has awareness about our program. This last year we have received assistance from other local banks. We would like to emphasize our gratitude to those willing to help this program, both our longtime supporters as well as those new supporters, as the individuals and families who need all of our help can become successful homeowners.
Home Start, Inc. and Delta Real Estate offer homebuyer education training three times per year. Classes are held on two Saturdays in both the spring and fall, and on a series of weeknights in the summer. There is a $25 registration fee for the cost of curriculum and materials. (Couples need only pay one registration fee and will be provided a curriculum to share.) The next classes will be held as a series of weeknights in August. Participants must attend all parts of a class to complete the course and receive a homebuyer training certificate. View the details and register now.
Learn more about Home Start, Inc.
Delta Real Estate Homes of Hope People First
The Salt & Light Co., Inc. Contact Us
