The American Dream

Our mission at United States Military Housing Assistance Fund is to help with closing cost grants for military members and veterans. In a competitive housing market, things can get complicated–Military Housing Assistance shouldn’t be one of those complicated things. Listen in as our Founder and other great minds in home-ownership reveal fascinating statistics and insights on realizing the American dream of home-ownership through gifts to defray closing costs.

Military Housing Assistance Fund Radio Interview

Here’s the description via On Guard in Oklahoma:

“On Guard in Oklahoma welcomes the Military Housing Assistance Fund this Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 10am Central time. This non-profit organization is dedicated to helping military families; active duty, guard and reserve to realize the American dream of homeownership through gifts to defray closing costs. We will be joined by Errol Anderson, director of Operations, Michael DeMorato, Loan Officer; and Deanna Raeber, an MHAF partner realtor.

The American Dream is homeownership yet statistics reveal that while 69% of Americans own their home only 27.8% of military families are able to own their home. Military Housing Assistance Fund, a non-profit organization, is dedicating to helping military families realize the dream they defend. Their mission is to expand housing opportunities to active duty military, guard and reserve personnel and to promote the value of home ownership as the foundation for building strong communities and personal security for men and women serving our country in uniform through gifts to defray closing costs. These are true gifts – never paid back.”

RELATED LINKS
Apply For Our Military Housing Assistance Gift Funds
Your Questions About Military Housing Assistance
On Guard in Oklahoma

We know that you have a lot of questions about what a military housing assistance program can do for you, or if you are even qualified for one. So, we have answered some of the basic questions for your right here:

What is “HAP?” HAP is the Homeowners Assistance Program. It was created to help military members avoid a loss when selling their house.

How does the housings assistance program work? The Department of Defense has used $555 million from the Recovery Act funds to reimburse employees up to 90% of the price they paid for a primary residence when selling that residence in a private sale.

How do I qualify? You qualify to apply to the Pentagon’s housing assistance program if you are one of the following:
1. A military personal moving to a new base
2. A wounded service member who needs to move for treatment
3. A surviving spouse of a service member killed while deployed

Am I allowed to appeal an appraisal? Yes. However, it must be written and submitted to the executing district for review.

Is there foreclosure assistance? Yes. You will be assisted after the foreclosure and some cost may be recovered.

US Military, Photo by Gertrud Zach

Do I need a good credit score? It’s always better to keep your credit score up, but there is no minimum credit score needed to receive housing assistance.

Where do I go if I have more questions? We are happy to help you out and answer more of your questions about a military housings assistance program or you can also go to hap.usace.army.mil.

We know it is all a daunting task, so please let us know what we can do to help you.

Sources:
http://hap.usace.army.mil
http://recovery.gov/news/featured/documents/HAP_Expansion_Brief_12_Nov-09[1].pdf
http://recovery.gov/news/featured/pages/HousingAssistanceForMilitaryAndTheirFamilies.aspx

Unless you watch countless hours of HGTV, you’re not a real estate expert; even then, you are not a Military Home Buying and/or real estate expert. So, it’s normal to be nervous when starting the quest to buy a house. We want to help you calm your nerves.

First things first, look at properties in the area you want to live in. Now look at your credit score and the type of loan you may be approved for. Do they fit together? If not, you may need to open your mind and look in other areas. If they do, then find a mortgage calculator online and do some math. What are your finances going to look like for the future?

image by xliviu on flickr

Another thing to look for is expectations vs. reality. It’s a trend to buy old houses and fix them up these days; but that takes a lot of work and long-term investment of time. Be realistic and look back at projects you have taken on in the past. Will you be able to take on a whole house? Meanwhile, a fully updated and renovated house will cost a lot more on the front end than one that needs work.

You may already know a real estate agent, but if you don’t, get in contact with a few of them. Ask them questions; see if your personality will get along with their personality. Find out from your friends who have bought houses recently if they know a good one in town. It’s always better to start with who you know and then branch out.

Now, stop buying things. Yes, that’s right, stop buying anything you don’t need and put that money in your savings account. Get it up to a healthy number. It’s going to help you with your down payment and closing costs; it’ll also let you rest easy if you have extra padding in it. So, do you want your dream house? Then think long-term and don’t buy unnecessary things now.

RELATED LINKS
Military Home Buying Calculators
Military Home Buying Help

Competition to rent is at an all time high. It seems like the average house for rent stays on Craigslist about a week or two before it’s filled. Why is that the case? People are still scared to buy a house in a weak economy, but maybe a shift in focus will change your mind.

While we understand the concern, we think that fright is irrational for most people at this point. As long as you have a clear plan in place for your house and finances, you should aim to buy a house. But, with competition for rental units so high right now, why not buy an “income property,” i.e. a house that will bring in money.

image via flickr

Income properties come in all shapes and sizes. You can buy a house with a garden level apartment or you can buy a duplex or, you can even just rent out a room in your house. It’s up to you to have the vision for properties you find in your budget.

However, there are further steps you can take to shape your vision. Check out Craigslist or Padmapper and see what rental units in your area are going for. Compare that with your mortgage and see how much an income property could help.

One thing to consider though is that you will be a landlord. That means you are responsible for keeping up the house and fixing things in your tenant’s living space when they are broken. Are you up for that challenge? If not, consider hiring a management company to take care of the dirty work.

Weigh the benefits and negatives to owning an income property and see what works best for your family. An income property could be exactly what you need.