Home Downpayment Assistance12:55PM / Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Banks combine down payment assistance with low-interest mortgage.
North Adams - Many first-time homebuyers struggle to pull together the money required for a home down payment and closing costs. Hoosac Bank and Williamstown Savings Bank are offering help in the form of their down payment assistance program. Both Banks are MountainOne Financial Partners.
The down payment assistance program offers grant money - up to $15,000 per household - which can be used for a down payment and/or closing costs for the first-time purchase of a primary residence. In addition to this assistance, participants in the program receive a mortgage that is .50% lower than the banks' market fixed rates. The banks also cover the cost of the home appraisal. The grant money is forgiven - the lien is wholly discharged - if the homeowner owns the property for 5 years. If the home is sold in less than five years, the homeowner must repay a pro-rated portion of the grant.
"It can be challenging to scrape together the cash to purchase a home for the first time," says Cindy Sault, mortgage lender at Hoosac Bank. "Many renters who are able to get along on a weekly basis struggle to make the leap from renting to owning. This program makes it easier for people to stop renting, and start building equity for their future."
The program is available to first-time homebuyers whose income is 80% of the area median or lower. In the northern Berkshires, a family of four with a household income of $59,200 or lower may qualify. Displaced homemakers - individuals who previously owned a home with a spouse but are now buying a home on their own for the first time - may qualify, as well.
For more information about the down payment assistance program, call Cindy Sault at Hoosac Bank, at (413) 662-2132, or Myra Wilk at Williamstown Savings Bank at (413) 458-8720.
Hoosac Bank and Williamstown Savings Bank are wholly owned subsidiaries of MountainOne Financial Partners, headquartered in North Adams. MountainOne has combined assets of nearly $900 million and over 200 employees. Hoosac Bank, Williamstown Savings Bank, and South Coastal Bank provide a broad range of banking services for personal and business customers. Hoosac Bank, established in 1848, has offices in North Adams and Williamstown; Williamstown Savings Bank, founded in 1892, has an office in Williamstown; and, South Coastal Bank, founded in 1868, has offices in Rockland, Braintree, Scituate, and Quincy. Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins Insurance Agency, founded in 1927 and one of the largest property and casualty insurance agencies in Western Massachusetts, serves personal and business customers through offices in North Adams, Williamstown, and Adams. True North Financial Services, established in 1997, is a registered broker dealer, providing investment, life insurance, retirement planning, and employee benefit services to personal and business customers through offices in North Adams, Williamstown, and Pittsfield. |
