A New Website to Celebrate our Anniversary
2013 is a special year for the Minnesota Homeownership Center and we've already started the festivities! Founded in 1993, the Center is celebrating 20 years of promoting successful and sustainable homeownership throughout the state.
Our first endeavor for this year is a complete overhaul of our website.
We've updated with a simplified interface, new materials and tons of resources for both consumers and professionals, switching from English to Spanish at the click of a button and incorporating many new tools to simplify how users find and share the valuable information on our website.
Visit our website here: www.hocmn.org to see more!
Over the past two decades, we've been on the cutting edge of homebuyer education, homeownership support and foreclosure prevention and we’ll be communicating with you throughout the year as we release additional tools, resources and fun materials celebrating our anniversary year.
Stay tuned!
Over the past few years of the foreclosure crisis in Minnesota, both housing industry professionals and social service agencies have requested an easy-to-use map of service areas covered by the Center's network of foreclosure counseling agencies... that they could print out and keep handy.
Now, the Center has produced a new printable map showing foreclosure counseling services provided by the Homeownership Advisors Network and the geographic or language service area they cover. This map is intended to be a reference tool for professionals as a supplement to the interactive online map.
(Click To Enlarge - Use Link Below For High Quality Print Version)
If you aren't familiar with the MN Home Ownership Center's website... we have a form/widget installed on several pages of the site that allows people to send us questions about their housing situation. A few days ago the Center received a comment through our online form that I thought I'd share with all of you:
Hi, I wish I knew about your organization before I was put in a position where I was given poor advice by my real estate agent on my short sale of my home. I was told by [my agent] to sign a lien release at closing and that would be the same as a satisfaction of debt agreement but afterward my old mortgage comapny informed me that I owe the deficiency balance and now I have to file bankruptcy. do you know of anyway out of this situation so I dont have to file bankruptcy ? I can't afford to pay back the 145,000.00 dollars they want me to pay. Thanks for your time-
We've been able to connect this consumer with a Housing Counselor that may be able to refer the client on for free legal services... but the sad fact is that there is probably nothing that can be done for this client now... short of declaring bankruptcy.
$145,000 is an expensive mistake to make... and we hope that this homeowner's sad tale will help motivate other homeowners that are struggling with their mortgage to seek the FREE, non-biased advise and support of a non-profit Housing Counselor. For more information about the statewide network of Housing Counselors in Minnesota, click here.
Did you know that April is officially "National Financial Literacy Month"?
It's not often we get to quote the President of the United States on our home ownership blog, but in his press release on the announcement about Financial Literacy Month, the President had this to say:
While our Government has a critical role to play in protecting consumers and promoting financial literacy, we are each responsible for understanding basic concepts: how to balance a checkbook, save for a child's education, steer clear of deceptive financial products and practices, plan for retirement, and avoid accumulating excessive debts. [Emphasis Added]
and
I call upon all Americans to observe this month with programs and activities to improve their understanding of financial principles and practices.
Looking for 'programs and activities' to help you understand the financial concepts necessary for successful homeownership? Perhaps you are struggling with your mortgage payment or trying to balance all your financial obligations? The MN Home Ownership Center's website is a great resource! Visit our site today.
The Minnesota Home Ownership Center has worked for years to create over a dozen fact sheets, FAQ's and other flyers that can help when a homeowner is struggling with mortgage payments or facing foreclosure. NOW... all of these fact sheets have been compiled in one location on the Center's website! (www.hocmn.org >> Stay in Your Home >> Helpful Fact Sheets)Feel free to print/distribute any of the fact sheets to homeowners that may benefit (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).Do you have an idea for a fact sheet or FAQ that would benefit struggling MN homeowners? Feel free to email your idea to Ed Nelson at the Center. Thanks!
¿Habla Español?The MN Home Ownership Center is pleased to announce that its Spanish-Language website it up and running!The Center assumed responsibility of the Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative earlier this year, and continues to strive to reach emerging markets homebuyers and owners with the launch of its website in Spanish.In addition to the launch of the website, the Center has translated ALL of its fact-sheets, flyers and consumer alerts in Spanish as well! You can visit the new site, here.
A New Website to Celebrate our Anniversary
