I have almost the same conversation with every buyer client I work with..they ask me which neighborhoods are the safest, or most family friendly, etc, and I have to tell them…I can’t answer that question. I know that seems counter-intuitive to the job that they have asked me to do, in helping them find the home that is the best fit for them. However, because of Fair Housing laws, those are questions that I can’t answer. I can only point them (and you) in the direction of resources that can help answer them, and allow you to make educated decisions as you purchase.

Typically I point clients to websites like Crime Reports, Virginia State Sex Offender Registry, homeowners association websites, and school ratings websites like Great Schools. However, I found a new, very comprehensive, very easy to use resource just released by the New York Times that I think will be a tremendous help too.  Using data from the 2010 census, and overlaying it onto Google Maps, you can now view a tremendous amount of data, broken down by census district, county, and state. You can view statistics on income, home values, racial and ethnic distribution, education level, median monthly rent, and more.  Here’s a peek at what one of the maps looks like, at the county level:

Wow, Median Home Prices Up 102% in 10 years!

Here’s the link again, so go ahead and play around with it, and leave me some feedback.

Cheers,
Heather

Seller funded down payment assistance programs are set to be eliminated by this fall, unless Congress approves the FHA Seller-Financed Downpayment Reform and Risk-Based Pricing Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 6694).  The Department of Housing and Urban Development apparently would rather eliminate these programs entirely than regulate them.  The video above is from Ameridream, and I’m not sure if their numbers include homebuyers that used other down payment assistance programs (like Nehemiah), but the bottom line is that thousands of potential homebuyers will not be able to purchase homes if the programs are discontinued.

Please visit www.supporthomeownership.com if you would like information on the programs or to take action and send a letter to Congress showing your support of the bill.

You can read my previous posts on the Nehemiah Program here:

• Nehemiah Program Explained (see first comment with an update from Scott Fournier, a lender, on the new bill in Congress)
• Nehemiah and Ameridream Downpayment Assistance Programs

If you have questions, please feel free to email me at info@heatherelias.com or call me at  571-233-5491 .

Cheers,

Heather

(and thank you to Jonathan Dalton at AllPhoenixRealEstate.com  for the heads up on the video)

(UPDATE: Nehemiah also has a website up to fight elimination of Downpayment Assistance Programs: www.dpagroundswell.org/ …thanks to Danilo Bogdanovic for sending me the link.)

(FURTHER UPDATE: Congress is considering a reprieve! Read HERE)

A few days ago I wrote that Fairfax County was considering buying foreclosed homes as part of a Silver Lining Program to expand affordable housing for county employees.  My point was that Loudoun County, with a high percentage of foreclosed properties, should look at what Fairfax is doing with an eye on implementing something similar at home here in Loudoun. Well, apparently our Board of Supervisors is on the case, as the front page article of this week’s Leesburg Today reads “Foreclosures Eyed As Opportunity”.

Apparently Chairman Scott York is planning to propose a program to our Board at the June 3rd meeting that would help county employees get low interest loans to purchase foreclosed homes in the easternmost portion of Loudoun County.  It’s early yet for specific details, but according to the article it looks like York wants the program to focus on the Sterling Park area, which has a high number of foreclosures.

This could be a great opportunity for County employees to be able to purchase and live much closer to where they work, as long as they structure the program properly.  I’m interested to see how they will set it up.  The article also mentions the possibility of a forgivable loan program (proposed by the Joint Trust Fund Committee) that would work as part of the current down payment program in use; it would allow public employees to get $5000 toward a down payment that would be forgiven over time.

It’s good that the Board is looking at ways to help mitigate the foreclosure situation in the county in a way that could benefit county employees. Look for more information following the June 3rd Board of Supervisors meeting.

Cheers,

Heather

Update: Fairfax County has approved their Silver Lining Program

A fellow Realtor and blogger, Danilo Bogdanovic,  is cycling in the Tour de Cure to benefit the American Diabetes Association on June 8th in Reston, Virginia.  Please consider helping him reach his goal of raising $250 by visiting his site here and sponsoring him. Some employers are offering matching gifts, so make sure to check at the bottom of the donation page before you donate!

Tour de Cure is held in forty states across the country, if you are interested in participating, check here and find a race near you.

Cheers,

Heather