First Time Home Buyer Resources
ACORN Housing Corp. (206) 680- 8838
http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=44
ACORN is campaigning to remedy the severe lack of affordable housing in the United States. ACORN is working to increase production and rehabilitation through the creation of housing trust funds at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as establishing and demanding enforcement of affordable-housing requirements for developers.
ASHI Western Washington (425) 290-9964
http://www.ashiww.com/
The American Society of Home Inspectors works to build public awareness of home inspectors and to enhance the technical and professional performance of inspectors. Consumer alerts are posted on the ASHI website and how to find an inspector are listed on the site.
Washington Homeownership Center (206) 587-5641 or (866) 600-6466
http://www.choc-wa.org/
The Washington Homeownership Center (WHC) is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) agency that helps low to moderate-income households in Washington State achieve the dream of homeownership. Since 1996, WHC has provided information about homeownership assistance programs, predatory lending, avoiding foreclosure, lenders, and real estate professionals to over 20,000 families and individuals who hope to become first-time homebuyers.
FANNIE MAE (WA. State Partnership Office - (206) 839-1540)
http://www.fanniemae.com/
The new "For Home Buyers & Homeowners" section helps you get all the information you need to find the Fannie Mae mortgage and Fannie Mae-approved lender that is right for you. As America's largest source of home mortgage funds, Fannie Mae has developed a large array of innovative mortgage products, available to you through a nationwide network of Fannie Mae-approved lenders. Fannie Mae doesn't lend money directly to borrowers, but they do want to make sure you have the resources you need when searching for a home and mortgage.
Fremont Public Association (206) 694-6700
http://www.fremontpublic.org/
Whether you have lost your home and need shelter or need help to stay in your current home, FPA can help. FPA helps low- and moderate-income people stay in their homes through Housing Counseling and Housing Stability grants and loans. Homeownership programs include: mortgage default counseling, predatory lending prevention, reverse equity mortgage counseling and general information on buying a home.
HomeSight (206) 723-4355 or (888) 749-4663
http://www.homesightwa.org/
HomeSight works to create community investment through the development of affordable housing for first-time home owners. HomeSight also serves as a lender to first-time home buyers, making home ownership available to low- and modest-income buyers through purchase assistance. In addition to its lending services, HomeSight provides home buyer education classes, counseling, and housing development.
International District Housing Alliance (206) 623-5132
http://www.apialliance.org/
IDHA is a non-profit agency committed to building communities and advocating for the needs of low-income residents, especially those with limited English proficiency. The mission of IDHA is to improve the quality of life for International District residents and Asian and Pacific Islanders of grater Seattle by providing low-income housing and related services. Language capacity at our agency covers Chinese (5 dialects) Tagalog, Pangasinan, Vietnamese, Cambodian, some Spanish and Korean.
Seattle-King Co. Coalition for Responsible Lending (206)587-5641 or (800)317-2918
http://www.seattle.gov/housing/predatorylending/
This website offers information and materials to homeowners, housing professionals and others who would like to prevent predatory lending on such topics as: illegal discrimination, how to avoid predatory loans, what you need to know about home loans, where to find a free mortgage counselor to obtain honest advice, a glossary of banking terms, and advocate resources for real estate and housing professionals.
My FICO
http://www.myfico.com/myfico/Home.asp
Credit plays a critical part in nearly everyone's life, but understanding what credit is and how it works can be a challenge. A great way to understand the role credit plays in your life — and to empower yourself as a consumer — is with a basic knowledge of two credit fundamentals - credit scores and credit reports. Get them here.
Stopmortgagefraud.com
http://www.stopmortgagefraud.com/index.htm
Learn about your mortgage lending rights as a borrower, how to spot predatory lending, and how to report abuse all on one website sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (206) 461-3792
http://www.urbanleague.org/programs.html
ULMS services are for low to moderate income households of first time homebuyers, current homeowners and rental tenants. The housing counseling services provided are as follows: Pre-purchase, mortgage default, rental search, landlord tenant, credit and budget classes, home equity conversion program.
WA State HUD/FHA Office (206) 220-5200
http://www.hud.gov/local/sea/seahssf.html
This site is loaded with information on everything from Fair Housing, to predatory lending, to first-time homebuyer resources.
WA State Housing Finance Commission (206) 767-4663
http://www.wshfc.org/
WSHFC includes a variety of programs for first-time homebuyers including:
Homebuyer Education - helps buyers learn how to purchase and maintain a home. These educational seminars are free and open to the public.
House Key Program - A below-market first mortgage loan program that helps first-time homebuyers (someone who has not owned AND occupied a primary residence at any time in the past three years) purchase a home. Borrowers must meet the program income and acquisition cost limits and must attend and complete a Commission-sponsored homebuyer education seminar. This loan program can be used with FHA, VA, Conventional and Rural Housing Services loan programs. Can include down-payment assistance