Part of the reason I got into the real estate business is to help stem the tide of urban blight here in Philly – without necessarily having to look outside the immediate area for investment. Indeed, there are quite a few long-vacant properties in the 215 that need minimal work in order to become beautiful, functional homes again, and it’s a shame to see them sit empty and decaying for no good reason. While there are some financial situations that are stickier than others, there are a number of options out there that can help many low-to-middle income area residents to own a piece of our beautiful city far sooner than they might have thought!
If you find yourself in a time and place in your life where it makes sense to buy, (stable job, life situation, etc.) but don’t have the money to come up with a huge down payment for a home on hand, there’s plenty of help available. Besides the popular FHA/VA/USDA and Fannie/Freddie low- or no-money-down loan products, there are a number of grants/loans for potential homebuyers in and around the Philadelphia area that can help take the sting out of many associated real estate costs.
I’ve gone ahead and highlighted a few of these programs below, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. (Always double-check to make sure that your situation matches the criteria these programs have in place, and always follow up with someone who works with these programs directly in order to to verify your eligibility before going forward!) It should also be noted that a number of these programs only have a certain number of spots available for applicants per calendar year, so applying ASAP for the new year should be at the forefront of your brain as 2013 comes to a close.
If your credit is less than stellar, a number of these programs can still help you to buy a house if you agree to attend approved credit counseling classes beforehand. However, you should always be sure to run the numbers before making such a big purchase! Further solid advice for buying a home with poor credit – without waiting the better part of a decade to do so – can be found here.
As always, thanks for reading. Happy homebuying!
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