News - HomeSight

January 17, 2025January 20, 2025 HomeSight

We’re Taking These Five Actions Today to Further Dr. King’s Vision – And You Can Join Us

In his 1967 speech “Where Do We Go from Here?”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized that economic disparity was not simply a byproduct of racism but a deliberate outcome of policies and practices that reinforced segregation and limited access to financial prosperity.

Dr. King’s call for economic justice remains as relevant today as it was in 1967, and today, January 20, 2025, the holiday honoring his legacy is a call to action.

HomeSight, along with 90 other regional organizations working in partnership for homeowning equity in the Black Home Initiative, are taking a systemic, multi-faceted approach to fulfilling Dr. King’s vision. We are:

Expanding Down Payment Assistance Programs. Many BIPOC first-time homebuyers struggle to save for a down payment due to historical income and wealth gaps. HomeSight offers several down payment assistance programs to serve the whole community, with initiatives such as the Sam Smith “Hi Neighbor” Homeownership Fund.
Strengthening Anti-Displacement Efforts. HomeSight’s cooperative housing development, U-lex@Othello Square is an intentional anti-displacement tool, prioritizing sales to south Seattle residents and stakeholders, and allowing neighbors a chance to stay in Seattle while stabilizing their housing costs and building equity and generational wealth.
Promoting Inclusive Lending Practices. HomeSight is dedicated to inclusive lending practices, building a bridge to affordability for community members who never believed they could own their homes.
Increasing Affordable Housing Development. HomeSight and Black Home Initiative are prioritizing the construction of affordable housing, while ensuring BIPOC developers have a seat at the table. The Field Order 15 Fund offers planning and financial support for BIPOC developers who are building affordable units accessible to low- and middle-income families.
Providing Financial Education and Resources. HomeSight offers free homebuyer education and HUD-certified counseling focused on credit building, mortgage readiness, and long-term financial sustainability to empower more BIPOC families to achieve homeownership.

Now more than ever, achieving equity requires intentional action from policymakers, financial institutions, and community leaders working together. By joining the Black Home Initiative and supporting organizations such as HomeSight, you can join the efforts to dismantle structural inequality at its roots, honoring Dr. King’s legacy and building a future where opportunity and prosperity are accessible to all.

HomeSight News, News, Press Releases

December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 HomeSight

HomeSight Receives Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders Award

HomeSight is proud to announce it has been awarded Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders Award. The award provides multi-year funding and leadership training to high-impact nonprofits driving economic mobility in communities nationwide. This year, HomeSight, The Coffee Oasis, and Rise Above and its founder were chosen as the 2024 Neighborhood Builders for their work to advance economic mobility.

The award comes with a two-year grant, as well as leadership training for HomeSight’s Executive Director Darryl Smith, and its selected emerging leader, Portfolio Director Scott Kim. Since the program’s inception in 2004, 41 Puget Sound area nonprofits have been selected as Neighborhood Builders.

“Receiving the Neighborhood Builders award allows us to promote social and economic mobility by creating affordable homeownership opportunities, supporting small businesses, and strengthening community advocacy,” said Daryl Smith, executive director of HomeSight. “With Bank of America’s partnership, we can provide innovative resources that allow our community members to build prosperity on their own terms.”

Since 1990, HomeSight has unlocked doors to homeownership and worked to create vibrant communities throughout Washington state. Through education, counseling, and lending, HomeSight creates new homebuyers across Washington, develops affordable housing projects for first-time homebuyers, and collaborates with diverse Seattle communities to strengthen local economic stability and preserve affordability.

“This year, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Neighborhood Builders program in Seattle as a testament to Bank of America’s commitment to helping nonprofits scale their impact and create meaningful change in our communities,” said Jim Morehead, president of Bank of America Seattle. “This is the second time HomeSight has been named a Neighborhood Builder and we applaud their work creating pathways for stronger, healthier, and more economically stable futures for individuals and families in our region.”

News, Uncategorized

November 18, 2024November 19, 2024 HomeSight

Your Top 10 Mortgage FAQs,

Your Top 10 Mortgage FAQs

Answered by Our Mortgage Lending Team

At HomeSight, our mortgage team loves making clients’ homeownership dreams come true. Buying a home is the biggest investment most people will make, and you’ll have questions. We asked Mortgage Loan Originator Sonda Swanberg to name the 10 questions she gets asked most frequently. We’ve listed them below, along with Sonda’s answers, to familiarize you with the mortgage lending process.

Q: Is there a minimum credit score limit?

A: Yes, HomeSight’s minimum credit score is 620. We use the median of all three scores from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. When looking at all three credit bureau scores, we use the median score. For example, if your credit scores are 705, 680, and 715, HomeSight would use 705 as your qualifying credit score.

Q: I have some 30-day lates and collections on my credit report. Am I disqualified?

A: If you have 30-day lates reported on your credit report in the last 12 months, you must wait until there is at least 12 months since your last reported late/missed payment. Lates more than a year old require a Letter of Explanation (LOE) explaining the late or missed payment. All items in collections, including disputed items, must be paid in full or removed from your credit report before moving forward with the loan process.

Q: I haven’t filed taxes for one or more years. Do I need to file before I can apply for a home loan?

A: If you worked in that year and did not file, yes, you must file your return before applying for a mortgage loan. If you did not work or are “tax-exempt,” a short LOE stating the reason you did not file is sufficient.

Q: I filed for bankruptcy and/or my house was foreclosed upon in the last seven years. Must I wait until seven years pass before I can apply for a home loan?

A: No. At HomeSight, the seasoning period for bankruptcy or foreclosure is four years. You can apply after the four-year anniversary of your bankruptcy/foreclosure. Be prepared to write a LOE on the circumstances you had to file for bankruptcy, or your home was foreclosed upon.

Q: Are the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) funds “free” money?

A: No, you must repay the funds you borrow. All our DPA programs are 30 years deferred. This means you do not have to pay back the funds until one of three events occur:

You stay in your home for 30 years and make the last mortgage payment, then you will be responsible for the DPA funds. These go against the house as a second (or subsequent) lien.
You sell your house and the DPA will be paid for through the sale funds. Your first lien will be paid first, then the DPA funds will be paid. Then, if any funds are remaining, you will be issued a check or direct deposit.
You refinance your house. In this case, the equity in the home will pay off the DPA funds. If there is not enough equity to pay off the liens, you might be able to roll them into the new mortgage loan.

Q: Is there a balloon payment associated with these loans?

A: Yes, a balloon payment is a large payment due at the end of the loan period. The DPA funds/liens come due when one of three events occur (see the question above). If you do not have the funds saved to pay off the DPA loans, you can refinance your home, using the equity you’ve earned to pay off the liens, resulting in a new mortgage.

Q: If I am using Down Payment Assistance Program funds, do I need to use any of my own money for the purchase of the home?

A: Yes, we require all our borrowers to come in with a minimum of 1% of the purchase price of the house, or $2500, whichever is greater.

Q: How do I apply for a home loan through HomeSight?

A: You will want to visit www.HomeSightWa.Org/Portal and create an account. Once you complete your profile, you will be able to schedule a counseling appointment – this is a required step – and a lending consultation with a mortgage loan originator. Your lending staff will assist you with your loan application once we receive your required documents.

Q: What documents are required to begin my loan application?

A: Everyone must submit the following:

The front and back of your government-issued ID AND your Social Security Card or ITIN letter.
Your most recent bank statements going back two months – all pages –including checking, savings, money market, investment and retirement accounts.
Your three most recent paystubs, if applicable.
Your 2021, 2022, 2023 W2’s and tax returns.

Q: Are there other documents I should have ready?

A: If these documents apply to your situation, please have these handy as well.

If you’ve been through a bankruptcy: Bankruptcy paperwork, including discharge papers.
If you pay child support: your parenting plan, plus six months of payment statements if collected through DSHS Support Enforcement. If not collected through Support Enforcement, six months of bank statements showing payments.
If you are divorced: your divorce decree.

We know you’ll probably have more questions than these during the homebuying journey, and we welcome them. Sign up today for homebuyer education classes or contact HomeSight directly. We look forward to helping you navigate your financial future!

HomeSight News, News, Press Releases

November 5, 2024November 5, 2024 HomeSight

Field Order 15 Fund Expands its Scope to Include Land Purchase Funds

Field order 15 fund expands it scope to include land purchase funds

Funds from the Community Reinvestment Project (CRP) Will Support Innovative, Intentional Solution to Deeply Rooted Homeownership Inequity

HomeSight Executive Director Darryl Smith joined Commerce Director Mike Fong at Othello Square in south Seattle Friday for the announcement of the state’s 19 recipients of the Community Reinvestment Program (CRP) grants.

The grant awarded to HomeSight will provide $5 million to expand the Field Order 15 Fund and $2.8 million to provide homeownership down payment assistance and create a new low-interest loan program.

Launched in January in partnership with the Black Home Initiative (BHI), the Field Order 15 Fund provides upfront grant money, eligibility for low-interest lending and technical support for BIPOC developers who are building affordable homes in the communities that need these resources most.

The grant expands the program to enable BIPOC developers to purchase the land on which they’ll be building, allowing developers to take the next step in the process, and opening previously closed doors for home developers.

The CRP is a community-designed plan to uplift those disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs. The aim is to advance equitable economic development by helping target communities acquire and secure assets and work together to achieve goals.

Smith, speaking at the press conference, said: “Racial disparity in homeownership wasn’t created by accident and it won’t be fixed by accident. HomeSight and BHI partners are grateful for this investment, which will lower barriers for builders who are invested in our goal to improve homeownership rates for the BIPOC community. These builders need and deserve a seat at the table and a voice in the solution to the affordable housing shortage.”

BIPOC homebuilders make up half a percent of real estate developers nationwide.

“The Field Order 15 Fund is an innovative approach to reducing racial disparities in the region’s housing market, which is the key driver behind BHI,” said Michael Brown of BHI. “Washington is experiencing a housing shortage that’s disproportionately impacting BIPOC communities. Working with HomeSight, we’re taking an equitable approach to building inventory and creating more BIPOC homeowners.”

News

September 24, 2024September 24, 2024 HomeSight

National Mortgage Professional Month – Scott Kim

National mortgage professional month

This National Mortgage Professional Month celebrates those who advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. HomeSight, known for its mission-driven mortgage professionals, asked Director of Portfolio Scott Kim how he’s worked toward becoming a leader in the mortgage and housing sector while championing these values.

SCOTT KIM

Meet HomeSight’s Director of Portfolio Scott Kim

Scott Kim, oversees the loan portfolio, homebuyer education, lending origination teams. What drives him? “If I can help a few families like mine, I’ve accomplished my mission, along with HomeSight’s,” he says.

Scott’s family immigrated to the U.S. when he was five years old. They lived in a single room for 18 months while his parents saved for an apartment deposit. After eight years of budgeting and sacrifice, they achieved homeownership.

“I can’t help but wonder how much sooner we could’ve purchased our home if we had access to an organization like HomeSight,” Kim said. Scott Kim’s personal connection to HomeSight fuels his passion and ability to connect with clients.

“HomeSight is a unicorn in the Washington State mortgage industry,” Kim said. “Other organizations support homeownership for low- to moderate-income LMI borrowers, but not at HomeSight’s level. We provide $50,000, $100,000, or even over $200,000 in down payment assistance. I don’t know of another organization in Washington State doing this.”

Scott Kim describes his journey at HomeSight as challenging yet rewarding. One memorable project involved assisting a first-time buyer with a HomeSight development resale, guiding her through the process and handing over the keys.

“The genuine appreciation and emotions I felt from the buyer were one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Kim said.

News

September 3, 2024September 3, 2024 HomeSight

Essential Tips to Kickstart Your Homebuying Journey

The process of buying a home can feel overwhelming, but here are some tips to help you get started on your homebuying journey.

Q: I want to buy a home. How do I start?

A: HomeSight’s homebuyer counselors will create a personalized road map for you. Ready, Set, Go for your financial dreams today!

Your first step to buying a home is signing up for free homebuyer counseling. Homebuyer counselors specialize in helping families achieve their dreams of homeownership by giving clients personalized financial planning services.

HomeSight’s HUD-certified counselors Pat Montgomery and Wanda Maldonado listen, advise, and help clients make informed decisions about finances and home purchasing abilities. The best part? It’s all free. There’s no cost to our clients. As a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), it’s what HomeSight does.

Below, we’ve compiled Pat and Wanda’s general tips and advice for homebuying. It’s a general gameplan that includes their most common FAQs. To make your own, personalized financial plan for the future, make an appointment with Pat or Wanda by creating an account here. Our HUD counselors will help you achieve your goals!

Ready: Take Charge of Your Credit

Minimum credit score: Pat and Wanda frequently tell clients to aim for a minimum credit score of 620, as it can significantly improve your chances of qualifying.

Manage your credit use: Credit use is a key factor in your credit score. Aim to keep your credit use below 30 percent. This means using less than one-third of your total credit limit. For example, if your credit limit is $10,000, try to keep your balance below $3,000.
Clean up your credit report: A clean credit report is crucial. Ensure your credit report is free of collections, charge-offs, or public records like bankruptcy or unpaid taxes. Remove any charge-offs and collections promptly. Also, challenge any errors on your credit report to ensure it accurately reflects your financial situation.

Set: Prepare Financially

Keep at it: Improving your credit is an ongoing process that requires diligence and proactive management. Just as you can’t stay in shape by doing one pushup, you must stay vigilant and attentive to your finances and credit.

Start saving: When preparing to buy a home, it’s recommended you have enough money on hand for the down payment, plus one percent of the home’s sale price, for inspection and appraisal expenses that may come up. Pat and Wanda can help you determine what you can afford and how much you’ll need to save to reach your goals.

GO: Get started!

Plan for graduation: Once you have created your plan and started to reach your essential mile markers, Pat and Wanda will prepare you to graduate into HomeSight’s lending program, which can offer purchase assistance and specialized loans. There’s no cap and gown: just the knowledge and confidence you need to create a secure, financially sound future. To get started with counseling today, by visiting HomeSightWA.org.

News

August 26, 2024September 4, 2024 HomeSight

Terry Miller

Homesight board of directors spotlight

The HomeSight Board of Directors guides the organization’s mission by providing strategic leadership, ensuring financial stability, and supporting key initiatives in affordable housing. Their oversight and expertise help HomeSight address community needs and build strong partnerships.

TERRY MILLER

Terry Miller is used to leading. A top realtor in the region, she’s built her business on a foundation of returning customers and personal referrals. Terry has applied these leadership principles to her volunteer work at HomeSight, serving as president twice during her 18 years of volunteer service. Terry Miller’s leadership has been inspirational not just to the organization, but to her professional colleagues at the National Association of Realtors. Terry was recognized last year with the organization’s Good Neighbor Award in the Seattle area. As Terry Miller transitions out of her role as board president this summer, we asked her to reflect on her tenure, and what her service to HomeSight meant to her.

Four questions for Terry

Q: What do you love about volunteering as a board member at HomeSight?

Everything we do! Our board sets Homesight’s mission and works with the staff to meet the goals and objectives we set to further that mission. We have excellent staff, a great executive director and a committed board. We aim to grow equity in our city—and everywhere. Our counseling, consulting, lending, and building efforts are meeting the constant challenge our expensive city presents. To do this, we work with families to buy and own their homes, provide much-needed reparative lending to support Black/BIPOC developers, build neighborhoods and local businesses, and advocate for housing justice. Through all these efforts, we are helping our neighbors build generational wealth.

Q: When you look back on your term as board president, what makes you most proud?

We can now say, proudly, that our loan programs are available statewide, and we’ve created and developed strong partnerships with government entities as well as private philanthropists. Because of these partnerships, we are able to provide more people with down-payment assistance to help more people reach the financial stability homeownership provides.

We’re also meeting the needs of our neighbors, bolstering local business owners and fostering community development. HomeSight’s Plate of Nations is an incredible example of this. This annual restaurant promotion event has grown every year and has brought millions in economic impact to the community. We have a gift in the diversity of our community, and to celebrate this, we host a number of events to build community connections, inspire community action, and promote inclusion. They’re fun, too. HomeSight rocks. We constantly try to be part of the solution, and it works

Q: What challenges did HomeSight face during your tenure?

Greater Seattle’s exorbitant housing prices, which have generated more need for financial assistance and less housing inventory—think supply and demand—in the price ranges regular, working people can afford. Also, higher interest rates have made it more difficult to borrow—and it costs more to buy less. We’ve been grateful for public and private partnerships that have helped us navigate these rough seas.

Q: How did this experience impact you?

My volunteer experience has been a wonderful way for me to give back and to learn. I’ve learned about other cultures, and the pressures impacting families who are just trying to live and work in a world that’s gotten too expensive. My interactions with the amazing staff members and the many committees and thought groups I’ve joined have opened my eyes to more than I ever thought I could know. Again, we do good work!

Q: What would you like to see in the future, for HomeSight, and the region?

An equitable world, to quote the guru John Lennon, ‘where all people can live as one.’

Homeownership Center, News

May 8, 2024May 8, 2024 HomeSight

Plate of Nations Highlights

Seattle's Most Diverse Restaurant Promotion Week Had Its Biggest Year Ever in 2024!

With more restaurants and more patrons than ever before, 13^th Plate of Nations highlighted the unmatched diversity of the Southeast Seattle food scene.

In its 13^th year of celebrating southeast Seattle’s diverse culinary scene, Plate of Nations drew over 2,000 new customers and increased revenues an average of 12% for the 51 south Seattle restaurants that participated—generating $70,000 for Rainier Valley businesses. This was a 30 percent increase in participation over last year.

Over 16 days this spring, Plate of Nations offered Seattle foodies a culinary world tour, with restaurants that spanned the globe from Laos to Ethiopia. This year, Plate of Nations included Arabic cuisine and two new halal fast food restaurants in its lineup, making its lineup of globe-spanning restaurants the most diverse ever.

“HomeSight’s community development department advocates for small business owners in south Seattle, and we’re always talking about the immeasurable contributions they make to our diverse city. But Plate of Nations allows us to really show, not tell, how diversity can make a community so vibrant,” said HomeSight’s Community Development Director Sarah Valenta. “Sharing food—because a meal really engages all our senses—is, I think, the best way to experience and begin to understand a culture and its traditions.”

Community members agreed. On Plate of Nations’ social media platforms, HomeSight received messages such as:

“Thank you for sharing about the small local businesses in the south end of Seattle. We live 10 minutes away and didn’t know about all these wonderful places. I haven’t been back to the neighborhood since I went to middle school and high school down the street from there!”
“Can I just say that I truly appreciate you all, @plateofnations? So many small and local restaurants get overlooked. I love y’all because it reminds me there are so many restaurants I want to return to or try out!”

“We’re so thrilled to see how this annual celebration has grown over the years and brought success to local business owners,” said Valenta. “We can’t wait to bring it back in 2025!”

Homeownership Center, News

April 11, 2024April 11, 2024 HomeSight

Fair Housing Month

This Fair Housing Month,HomeSight Celebrates
“The Act in Action”

April is Fair Housing Month, and HomeSight programs embody this year’s theme.

Every April, we recognize the anniversary of our country’s Fair Housing Act. Signed into law on April 11, 1968, this federal act prohibited the longstanding practices of discrimination in housing transactions. It protects people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or familial status.

HomeSight’s work is rooted in the tenets of this landmark legislation and brings the FHA’s ideals to work for Washingtonians. This year’s Fair Housing Month theme – The Act in Action – highlights HomeSight’s important work in the community. Here are a few of the programs that show how HomeSight puts the act in action every day.

U-lex: Affordable Housing Co-op as Anti-Displacement Tool

With beautiful, modern living conditions set next to the light rail station at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and South Holly Park Drive, HomeSight’s U-lex co-op will offer 68 units affordable to families earning 80 percent or less of the area income at the time of purchase.

“For too many Washington residents, even a so-called ‘starter house’ is too big a leap to get into the real estate market,” said HomeSight Executive Director Darryl Smith. “With a co-op like U-lex, people can start building equity at a much lower price point than you’d find in this housing market. U-lex is creating the first few rungs on the ladder, so people can start the climb to the true financial stability homeowning allows.”

U-lex is the final building in HomeSight’s Othello Square complex, which now houses the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, a community-based health care provider, Verity Credit Union, Salish Sea Elementary School, and Tiny Tots Development, a provider of early childhood education. Fifty percent of U-lex units are reserved for people who have roots in this community.

“U-lex is an intentional anti-displacement tool,” said Uche Okezie, HomeSight’s Director of Real Estate Development. “Without planned growth through projects such as U-lex, the city risks losing the communities that make Seattle so unique.”

U-lex is spelled “ʔúləx̌” in Lushootseed, the language spoken by the Coast Salish people who originally lived on this land. Pronounced ‘OH-lew,’ ʔúləx̌ means “gather” in the Lushootseed language. To learn more about U-lex, please contact Pearl Nelson or visit the website.

Field Order 15 Fund: Reparative Lending to Help New Black Home Builders — and Homeowners

This year, HomeSight and Black Home Initiative (BHI), launched the Field Order 15 Fund, a reparative lending program for Black home developers that provides upfront grant money, eligibility for low-interest lending, and technical support. The program offers a creative approach to addressing the affordable housing shortage by giving agency to stakeholders that traditionally have not had a seat at the table.

The fund’s name references General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Special Field Order 15, issued at the end of the civil war to re-distribute land to the the newly freed enslaved people, providing each family with “40 acres and a mule.” President Lincoln approved Special Field Order 15, but after his assassination his successor Andrew Johnson rescinded it, returning the land to treasonous former enslavers. Black people never received “40 acres and a mule,” or any restitution for their enslavement. The following ten decades of explicitly racist policies prevented Black people from staking a claim in an economically secure future.

“Field Order 15 Fund aims to fulfill this abandoned equity goal and HomeSight is the perfect home for it,” said Okezie, who manages the project. “As a Community Development Financial Institution, we have homeownership counseling, we do mortgage lending, we offer down payment assistance to income-qualified households, and we also build quality, affordable houses. But we are also a CDC – a Community Development Corporation – and our job there is to promote economic growth in the communities we serve. As a CDFI, a CDC, and a member of the BHI, this project pulls all our expertise, goals and imperatives together in a really unique way.”

Purchase Assistance: Halal Loans, VISTA Loans, and Sam Smith “Hi Neighbor” Fund Offer an Opportunity to Build Generational Wealth

HomeSight’s purchase assistance programs are designed to reach out to communities that were impacted by racism and unfair housing practices. HomeSight can offer first-time homebuyers a VISTA loan, which doesn’t require the borrower to have a social security number. HomeSight’s Halal loan is compliant with Sharia law, for Muslim homebuyers.

HomeSight recently partnered with Windermere Real Estate to create the Sam Smith “Hi Neighbor” Homeownership Fund, a loan product to increase purchasing power and bridge the affordability gap facing Black homebuyers earning between 80-120 percent of Washington state’s median income. The fund allows eligible recipients to borrow up to $20,000 to layer into a mortgage loan to use toward their home’s purchase cost.

This initiative was inspired by legendary Washington state legislator and Seattle City Council President Sam Smith, whose perseverance in passing the state’s version of the Fair Housing Act – the Open Housing Law – in 1967 resulted in a major, hard-won civil rights victory. The fund’s name also gives a nod to Smith’s congenial personality.

“The foundation for generational wealth building in American is rooted in home ownership, and the Fair Housing Act’s passage opened a pathway out of poverty for many Americans,” said Smith. “Fair Housing Month allows us to reflect on how far we’ve come and reminds us how much work remains. The work of HomeSight and its community partners is so important right now because that pathway to prosperity can be long and difficult to navigate. Our job is to light the way.”

News

April 3, 2024April 3, 2024 HomeSight

We’re Taking These Five Actions Today to Further Dr. King’s Vision – And You Can Join Us

We’re Taking These Five Actions Today to Further Dr. King’s Vision – And You Can Join Us

HomeSight Receives Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders Award

HomeSight Receives Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders Award

Your Top 10 Mortgage FAQs,

Your Top 10 Mortgage FAQs

Field Order 15 Fund Expands its Scope to Include Land Purchase Funds

Field order 15 fund expands it scope to include land purchase funds

National Mortgage Professional Month – Scott Kim

National mortgage professional month

SCOTT KIM

Essential Tips to Kickstart Your Homebuying Journey