launched www.CarolinaHomePrograms.com at its Workforce Housing Forum today
at Central Piedmont Community College's Harris Center.
CarolinaHomePrograms.com provides consumers with free, online public access
to a wealth of home-financing resources.
The forum, made possible with assistance from the National Association of
Realtors®
(NAR), featured experts from various sectors of the housing continuum, who
addressed
a range of affordable-housing issues significant to the Charlotte region.
Panel
participants Pat Garrett, president of The Housing Partnership; Rebecca
Stickel, director
of YWCA Families Together Program; and Darren Ash, director of the W.I.S.H.
Program;
illuminated the increasing need to provide working families with affordable,
safe and
well-maintained housing within stable neighborhoods. Panelists also
discussed ways in
which their agencies and Realtors® can champion solutions across the
spectrum — from
homelessness to supportive housing and rental to homeownership.
"We hope today's conversation fosters a greater awareness about housing
concerns in
our community, and leads to creative and collaborative ideas that make a
difference,"
said Terri Marshall, executive director of the Housing Opportunity
Foundation.
The foundation's new, online home-financing tool, CarolinaHomePrograms.com,
is a
solution for homebuyers seeking education, information and financial
assistance. For
the first time, the public will be able to access a comprehensive collection
of available
resources, housed in one location. The site includes down-payment and
closing-cost
assistance programs, housing grants, below-market-rate first mortgages,
forgivable
loans, as well as other financial assistance programs through government and
nonprofit
organizations in Mecklenburg, Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell and Union
counties.
"CarolinaHomePrograms.com is a helpful first step in the home-buying
process," said
Lyn Kessie, association/Carolina Multiple Listing Services, Inc. (CMLS)
president. "The
purchase of a home can be an overwhelming process for many consumers, and
CarolinaHomePrograms.com will help by simplifying and consolidating the
funding and
educational resources."
Kessie also noted that the foundation intends to reach out to businesses and
organizations in the coming months to share how the website will benefit
respective
workforces and constituents. For example, the City of Charlotte's
Neighborhood and
Business Services Department will feature CarolinaHomePrograms.com as a
resource
link on its Web page.
"I applaud the Realtors® for their continued support of housing issues in
our community
as demonstrated by the launch of CarolinaHomePrograms.com," said Charlotte
Mayor
Anthony Foxx. "A centralized, interactive resource of homeownership and
financing
tools complements Charlotte's overall approach to safe, affordable housing."
CarolinaHomePrograms.com features include:
Simple data fields that allow the consumer to enter specific information
regardingfamily size, geographic area and financial situation. After the
user completesthese fields, the site generates customized data and programs
specific to thatindividual's circumstances.
A translation feature so users can access information in 10 languages:
Chinese,Dutch, French, English, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese,
Russian and Spanish.
Current and timely news regarding foreclosure-assistance and
consumerprotectionissues.
A glossary of definitions to assist the homebuyer in understanding terms
relatedto the home-buying process.
The site also features a link to www.CarolinaHome.com, which provides
information
about finding a Realtor® or a Realtor® who is a Workforce Housing
Specialist. A
Workforce Housing Specialist is a Realtor® who has received additional
education
related to working with first-time homebuyers and clients purchasing homes
in the
affordable price range, or roughly 80 percent of the median income.
CarolinaHomePrograms.com will continue to evolve as community organizations
and
resources are added.
About the Housing Opportunity Foundation
The Housing Opportunity Foundation is the charitable arm of the Charlotte
Regional
Realtor® Association. The foundation is dedicated to funding, education,
advocacy and
leadership programs that are focused on fair and affordable housing and
workforcehousing
initiatives. The foundation serves to position and educate Realtors® as
leaders,
promote homeownership and provide funding to create housing opportunities.
###
The Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association is a trade association that
leads, educates and equips members to be
productive. It provides more than 7,400 Realtor® members with the resources
and services needed to conduct ethical,
professional, successful and profitable businesses. The association is
dedicated to being the region's primary resource for
residential real estate information. The association operates the Carolina
Multiple Listing Services, Inc. (CMLS), which
has approximately 8,400 Subscribers and is the private cooperative Realtors®
use for access to tens of thousands of
residential listings in a 10-county service area, including the high-growth
Charlotte area, as well as listings outside this
service area.
REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which
identifies a real estate professional who is a Member of the National
Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
