MassHousing

"It's both an art and a science" is how Massachusetts REALTOR Julian Addy describes his job as a real estate agent helping first time home buyers. Julian shares his deep knowledge of today's market, his personal experiences with buyers and sellers and helpful, behind-the-scenes advice that will leave you feeling more confident than ever as you make your way down the road to home ownership.

In this 20-minute episode, we touch on the challenging market conditions here in early 2023; the critical difference between pre-qualifying for a loan and getting pre-approved; the importance of property taxes; and, a lively conversation with the always-upbeat Rocco Leone, one of our home buying professionals at MassHousing. Hit play and get motivated to achieve your home buying goals this year!

Rising interest rates, fewer homes on the market.  What's a first time home buyer to do?  Keep at it! Rich Petisce, one of our home buying experts, provides clear, straightforward advice on how to move ahead with your home buying plans, even in difficult times.  First time buyers are still successfully purchasing homes and condos these days.  So can you. 

It may be freezing cold now, but the spring homebuying season is coming soon.  Are you ready to buy this spring? This episode goes over the steps you should have taken at this point to be ready to purchase in the spring of 2022. Even if you are not ready for this spring, there is plenty here to learn about for the day when you are ready, as well as some motivation to keep going in your quest to be a homeowner. It's only 10 minutes!  Jump-start your new year's commitment by giving this a listen!

That's the philosophy of Cathy Mercado, Executive Director of the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership, a non-profit that provides first-time homebuyer classes. In this inspiring and engaging episode, Cathy shares her own personal story of overcoming life challenges, becoming a home owner, and dedicating her life to helping people with modest incomes realize their dreams of owning their own home. Cathy has helped hundreds of home buyers and she and her team can help you! And thanks to Zoom, whether you live in the Merrimack Valley or in Boston, Worcester, Springfield or anywhere else, you can take a homebuyer education course from these dedicated professionals who are with you every step of the way.

"Brutal honesty" is what you will get from one of MassHousing's top loan originators, Jamie Pollard. And when it comes to borrowing money for a home purchase, you don't want anything less. Jamie Pollard talks about his own family history and how it inspired him to start a career helping people with modest incomes buy their first home. Learn how Jamie establishes trust and rapport with people and gives them the tools to help them make smart choices. This is real talk, not a sales pitch, which is what a buyer needs in today's heated market.

The Massachusetts real estate market is hot. It's tough out there for buyers. Bidding wars and high prices can be intimidating. We talk about how to empower yourself with down payment assistance programs, a strong credit score and knowledge of what exactly you pay for every month when you write that mortgage check to your lender. 

Join us for a conversation with Natasha Boye, one of our team of homebuying experts at MassHousing. We talk about the rise in the number of people taking home buyer education classes; why there are so many home sales during a pandemic; the steps to take if you want to buy this year or next year; the pros and cons of buying a multifamily home and much more!

One of our home buying experts, Angelo Nuby, talks about MassHousing's newest down payment assistance initiative, which provides as much as $25,000 in down payment aid for qualified buyers. We also talk about what it means to have good credit and what is a good credit score. Oh, and why should you take a home buyer education class? Angelo will tell you. 

We finish up the series about what it is like to buy a house during the pandemic. Hear a first-hand account of the final walk-through of the property; the closing at the attorney's office; the move, and what it is like when the process is over. Buying a home in the pandemic requires safety and few extra steps but is doable!

It can be done! The journey toward buying a home in a pandemic continues. The anticipation of whether or not the offer will be accepted. The home inspection. The purchase and sale agreement. We negotiate all of the usual elements of the home buying process, but in the era of COVID-19.  Come along and learn about the basics of home buying, and hear a first-hand account of buying during this unusual time. 

Come along on the journey to home ownership during the pandemic. Your host is right in the middle of buying a home in these unusual times. Learn what’s different, and what’s the same. In this installment, we look at listings, tour homes while wearing masks, find the right house and make an offer. Follow along!

In this short, fast-paced episode - recorded just before Massachusetts began the state of emergency for the pandemic - Monique continues her home buying quest, asking many of the questions you would ask. She gets helpful answers from Pam Balboni, one of MassHousing's home buying experts. Monique and Pam talk about finding a lender to work with and what materials you will need to give to the lender; pre-qualification and pre-approval; down payment assistance; job loss protection insurance; buying and paying for a "fixer-upper" and how sometimes you can get a seller of a home to pay for your closing costs.  

Join us for the first of a four-part series in which Monique Gibbs, who wants to buy her first home, talks with different home buying experts at MassHousing. Monique will be asking many of the same questions you have as you start out on your home buying journey. In this episode, Monique talks with Lisa Fiandaca, MassHousing's Director of Home Ownership Production, about how to find a home buyer education class, how to find a Realtor and more.

A wide ranging interview with Elise Bare of RMS, one of MassHousing's top lender partners. Learn all about what to expect during the financing process and the right way to go about finding a home you feel you can truly afford.

A discussion with Mounzer Aylouche, MassHousing's Vice President for Home Ownership, about common mistakes first-time home buyers make and how you can avoid them.

We discuss how to know if you are ready to consider buying your first home.

An introduction to MassHousing, (the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) which provides affordable home mortgage loans to qualified home buyers in Massachusetts.  Especially geared toward the first time home buyer.