By Phil Hall
A coalition of housing industry and housing advocacy groups is collaborating on a new initiative to provide educational counseling for prospective homeowners.
Under the Homeownership Collaborative endeavor, the coalition members will partner with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)-approved housing counseling agencies in four markets during 2017. This effort will offer free services to both buyers and sellers covering topics ranging from mortgage qualification to addressing credit problems and other financial challenges.
“MBA believes that housing counseling can play an important role in expanding homeownership opportunities,” said David Stevens, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), one of the organizations in this endeavor. “We look forward to being part of the forums so that lenders and other stakeholders can work toward solutions in this area.”
Joining the MBA in the Homeownership Collaborative are the National Housing Resource Center, the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), HomeFree USA, National Council of La Raza, NID-HCA, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Chhaya Community Development Corporation, HomeSmartNY, Housing Options & Planning Enterprises, Beyond Housing, and Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland.
