Homebuyer Counseling and
Education Program

1. Homebuyer Assistance:

WRO's homeownership counseling can prepare you to buy a home.

WRO is the HUD-certified homebuying agency in the County. We counsel homebuyers at no charge regardless of income. Our trained and experienced counselors can review your household's financial situation and make recommendations to help you to prepare become a home buyer. For example, you may need to clean up debts and/or increase your savings. The counselor will explain terms like down payment, closing cost, first mortgage, PITI, and points, and walk you through the home purchasing process. You can also find out what price house, condominium, or co-op you can afford to purchase. Homeownership counseling will be conducted either in individual sessions, in a group, or both.

2. Understand the role of the Real Estate Professionals

Required as part of the homebuying process

What do real estate agents do? How do you identify and contact a real estate agent to help you find a house? Which banks should you consider? What assistance can an engineer or a lawyer provide? Your WRO homeownership counselor has the answers to these and many other questions. We are the Fair Housing agency in the County and therefore all of our referrals are to professionals who practice fair housing, and in many instances have been trained by us.

3. Learn about down payment and closing cost assistance programs

Programs specifically designed for first-time home buyers

A WRO counselor can help identify if one of the following programs makes sense for you.

• The First Home Club - First Home Clubs provide a 3-1 match to help build savings for down payment and closing costs. Members of the First Home Club who save on a consistent basis can qualify for matching funds of up to $5,000 from a participating bank. Club members are required to receive 8-10 hours of individual and group homebuying counseling.

• Individual Development Accounts - From time to time, WRO offers Individual Development Accounts (IDA), another way of saving money to buy a home. WRO or a participating bank matches funds saved by the individual. Financial literacy training as well as homebuying counseling are required.

• Other grants from local governments or not-for-profit agencies.

The Homebuying process starts with a one-on-one counseling session. Fill out the documents below and bring them in for you first counseling session:

Download Financial Information Intake Form

Download Budget Worksheet

Please note: You will also need to bring in a copy of a current Credit Report (within the last 90 days) and FICO Score. These are available through

www.annualcreditreport.com
or
call 1-877-322-8228.

Please note: You can fax your Financial Information Intake Form and someone will call you to follow up for an appointment. Please do not fax your budget and credit report/FICO score - bring these with you to your first appointment.

White Plains office hours:
Tuesdays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Wednesdays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursdays 1:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Fridays by special arrangement

Please call for an appointment
Phone: (914) 428-4507 x303
Fax: (914) 428-9455
E-mail: Homebuying@wroinc.org

Individual counseling can also be scheduled in Mt. Vernon.
See Mt. Vernon office for details.

For additional Grants please contact and visit
Community Housing Innovations, Inc.
www.chigrants.org
(914) 683-1010

Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc.