Are you looking for help in buying a home, renting an apartment, or have questions about mortgages? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has free counseling available. Keep reading below to learn more about HUD’s counseling services.
HUD’S Fee Policy
Counseling services for foreclosure prevention and homeless services are free of charge through their Housing Counseling Program. Agencies in this program are not allowed to charge people for these specific services. But there are other services HUD provides that require a fee.
These other forms of housing counseling and education services include reverse mortgages, pre-purchases, rental, and post-purchases. However, some conditions must be met in order for HUD to charge a fee.
Agencies must provide counseling free of charge to people who can prove they are unable to afford the fees. Also, agencies must let the clients know ahead of time the applicable fees before counseling begins. Fees must also be reasonable and customary with the level of services and counseling provided.
Aside from HUD, there are many HUD-approved Intermediaries that provide housing counseling as well. Take a look below to learn more about one of the most popular and trusted agencies.
NID Housing Counseling Agency
For over 30 years, the NID Housing Counseling Agency has been helping home buyers become mortgage-ready. They have several different categories of counseling and education services, so keep reading below to get a breakdown of them.
Online Homebuyer Education Course
This course is designed to prepare first-time homebuyers for the responsibilities involved with owning a home. People that sign up for this course will learn how to determine if homeownership is the right fit for them, how to shop for a home, and how to maintain it.
Connect To A Counselor
NID housing counselors provide information and guidance for first-time homeownership. This service usually includes how to search for affordable housing, help in selecting a real estate agent, and down payment assistance.
Rental Housing And Financial Management Counseling
NID counselors can help you in managing your personal finances to help improve your overall renter profile. First-time home buyers need to be able to show their history as financially sound. Therefore, this type of counseling will go over common lease provisions that impact your daily life.
In addition, these counseling services will teach you strategies for dealing with creditors and landlords, as well as how to budget and organize your debt payoffs.
Use The Resources
Homeownership is a big step in anyone’s life, and lots of planning and budgeting is involved. The more you know about the details of each step in the process, the better prepared you’ll be. HUD and its partners such as NID specialize in this type of counseling and education, so make sure you look into both of these resources while you consider buying a home.
