Boston Home Center offers a wealth of services for homebuyers and homeowners
Stable neighborhoods are healthy neighborhoods, and the most stable ones have a solid base of homeowners. Dedicated to helping Boston residents obtain, maintain and retain their homes, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Department of Neighborhood Development support the Boston Home Center.
Mayor Martin Walsh addresses attendees at an expo sponsored by the Boston Home Center. The events help home buyers and owners learn about services offered by the city and local nonprofits.
On May 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Boston Home Center will hold its Spring EXPO at Madison Park Technical and Vocational High School. This event kicks off the 2017 spring homebuying season, with free classes led by BHC staff to help potential homebuyers understand how they can achieve the dream of homeownership. Attendees will also learn about all of the services the city offers to help existing homeowners keep their homes in good repair. For more information about BHC, call 617-635-HOME (4663) or visit: www.boston.gov/housing/boston-home-center
Through BHC and its events, city residents gain access to approved mortgage lenders, realtors, non-profits, federal and state housing partners, city agencies, local elected officials, city officials and trained BHC staff to help them learn about homeownership and about valuable programs such as Renew Boston, the Neighborhood Homes Initiative and Seniors Save. In addition, organizations such as the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance, MassHousing and other approved nonprofit partners, realtors and mortgage lenders often attend BHC’s events.
“In Boston, our priority is making sure residents can live, work and thrive in our city, and that includes becoming a homeowner,” said Mayor Walsh. “Our Boston Home Center provides residents with the support they need to assist them with the homebuying process and throughout their years as a homeowner.”
Here is a summary of the services BHC offers:
Services for homebuyers
Boston Home Center’s homebuyer services ensure that people seeking to live in Boston — regardless of race, age, economic status or physical ability — can find a place in the city to call home.
Homebuyer education
Homebuyer education is the cornerstone of the BHC homebuyer program, including the following classes:
- Homebuying 100: Introduction to Homeownership: This one-and-a-half-hour course is ideal for anyone exploring the homebuying process. You’ll learn about the pros and cons of homeownership, about preparing your finances and about determining what type of home is right for you.
- Homebuyer 101: This is a comprehensive, 10-hour introduction to buying a home in Boston, graduating 1,600 empowered prospective homebuyers each year. Graduates of Homebuyer 101 are able to navigate the home buying process and gain access to sound, affordable and sustainable mortgage products.
- Homebuying 102: How to Buy a Condo: The free two-hour seminar is available to graduates of Homebuying 101 and offers condo purchase information and tips for financing.
- How to Assemble Your Homebuying Team: Join our panel discussion to find out who should be on your homebuying team. The session introduces you to the types of professionals you’ll be working with, like mortgage loan officers, realtors, insurance agents and real estate attorneys. You must be a member of the Homebuyer Club to join this discussion.
- Loan to Own: This course covers the different types of mortgages and how lenders make loan decisions. We also discuss federal laws and how to avoid predatory lending.
- Drop-in Counseling Sessions for Homebuyers: Free group counseling sessions for graduates of Homebuying 101 can help you see where you are in the homebuying process and what steps to take next.
- Structuring Your Finances for Homeownership: This one-and-a-half-hour workshop will teach you how to review your credit report, optimize your debt-to-credit ratio and organize your financial documents. The goal is to help you prepare for applications to financial assistance programs and lenders.
- Your Strategic Money Management Plan: This two-hour workshop helps you analyze your spending and credit situations, and answer the question: Am I making the right choices to manage my finances effectively?