buyer Program helps 50th participant purchase a home
The City of Minot’s Resilient Home buyer Program reached a milestone today by assisting its 50th participant to buy a home in Minot.
The Resilient Home buyer Program is funded through the National Disaster Resilience Competition, a grant awarded to the City of Minot in 2016 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
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This grant, one of only 13 awarded nationally, has helped the City become more resilient and has assisted in the recovery for residents impacted by the 2011 flood. The Resilient Home buyer Program helps eligible buyers whose homes were destroyed or significantly damaged by the 2011 flood purchase a qualified home in a resilient neighborhood.
“The Resilient Home buyer Program made it significantly more attainable for me to purchase a home in Minot, the city where I grew up. It is important to me to be able to stay close to my family in the Minot area and be part of the future of this community,” said Alex Gorze, the 50thbuyer.
The Resilient Home buyer Program provides qualified buyers an opportunity to receive a NDR GAP loan that can be forgiven after 15 years of owning the home, subject to certain requirements.
The City of Minot is working with the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency to manage the NDR GAP loan underwriting as well as finalize buyer eligibility.
“This program has been a tremendous success,” Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma said. “It has helped people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the flood buy a home and continue to be part of our community.
The City Council is pleased to have played a role in this process, and we continue to be supportive of the program.
”“We are pleased with the results we are seeing with this program. More families are qualifying and purchasing homes that they might not have been able to buy without this assistance. As a result, the community of Minot continues to strengthen its tax base and retain residents,” said Resilience Program Manager John Zakian.
“This program has helped the City of Minot become more resilient and provide home ownership opportunities for some residents impacted by the flood, which is an important goal of the NDR program.”
The primary qualification requirements for the Resilient Home buyer Program are:
•Buyer’s household income must be at or below the current low- and moderate- income limits based on the family size for Ward County.
•Homes must be located within the City of Minot, within a designated resilience area, and outside of FEMA’s proposed 100-year flood plain.
•The purchase price of the home may not exceed the current maximum price reviewed an-nually by NDHFA, which is $311,979.
•The property must pass a HUD Housing Quality Standards inspection to be eligible for the program.
•Buyers must secure a 30-year fixed rate first mortgage from a participating lender.•Buyers must complete and secure a certificate of completion from an approved Home-buyer Education course.
