NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor: This is what we do

NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor has been writing informative articles about homeownership for more than 26 years, and we hope it has been a great source of information and connection with various resources for Grays Harbor citizens.

However, I still run into people who have never heard of NeighborWorks or the services we offer. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to step back and give an overview of just what kinds of services our nonprofit organization currently offers the residents of Grays Harbor County.

A little background

Way back in 1981 Aberdeen Neighborhood Housing Services officially affiliated with a nationwide organization originally known as Neighborhood Reinvestment, an organization created by Congress to address lenders not making loans on houses in certain areas, called “red lining.” There were also so many more needs of low income, blighted communities suffering from the effects of deteriorating housing. Neighborhood Reinvestment eventually became NeighborWorks America and NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor County is one of the oldest chartered organizations of just more than 250 NeighborWorks organizations located in every state and possession.

In a nutshell, our 11-member volunteer board and our seven staff members are very committed to providing decent, safe and affordable housing opportunities for the Grays Harbor community.  Our intent is to support sustainable housing for homeowners, homebuyers and renters through no-cost counseling/advising, homebuyer education, tailored affordable loans, Down Payment Assistance and subsidized rental units or below- market-rate rental units.  Our outreach activities include our website, social media and education opportunities, including this column.

Even if you, personally, aren’t in need, perhaps you have a neighbor, friend or relative who could use one of our services. Word of mouth has been our best advertisement!

Who can receive our help?

We may serve folks of all incomes in some way. However, we specifically offer income-qualified loan products (for those earning less than 100 percent of the Area Median Income) focused on the purchase and or rehabilitation of owner-occupied homes. NeighborWorks also owns and manages 33 income-qualified rental units (primarily  Section 8 housing) and work closely with the Housing Authority of Grays Harbor to place qualified families in our rental units. 

Our Primary Lines of Business

Homebuyer assistance – If  you want to buy a home, we offer free housing counseling to help you prepare your home loan application and answer your questions about the home- buying process. We may also be able to help guide you to Down Payment Assistance and first mortgage opportunities.

Our online homebuyer education is highly regarded and often required for certain First Time Homebuyer programs. The eHome Home Buyer Education is available nationwide on the internet and NeighborWorks acts as the host counselor for most of Western Washington and issues the certificate upon successful completion.  While this training carries a fee, we have tried to price this as low as we possibly can.  You can find a link to our housing counseling and eHome online homebuyer class on our website at:  www.nwghc.org.

More information on eHome online – Created by Community Venture Corp and NeighborWorks America, this online course is recognized throughout the country as being one of the best home buyer educations out there. It takes about six to eight hours to complete. For just $50 you can complete the course at your own pace, at the time that’s convenient for you, in the privacy and convenience of your own home, or anywhere there’s an internet connection, even on a smart phone!

It includes animated videos, easy-to-read content, and module quizzes throughout to ensure your complete understanding of the home buying processes. It includes a one-on-one advisory session with our housing counselor here in Aberdeen – in person or by phone. The course is also available in Spanish and is accepted by USDA, Washington State Housing Finance Commission and other lenders that require it for some of their first-time home buyer loan products.

At the successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion that will make you eligible to apply for down payment assistance and first mortgage funding.  We work with your lender to determine whether the eHome course will be required for your particular financing program. As you will learn, there is plenty to know and prepare when becoming a sustainable homeowner.

Home-buying counseling 

While many of our loan products are intended to serve income-qualified folks, anyone can access our certified housing counseling at no cost. NeighborWorks offers free consultation with a certified Homeownership Counselor. We not only discuss the home-purchase process, but also offer no-cost support and assistance from application-to-closing.   Some of the topics we cover in the counseling sessions are:

• Income sources and verification processes

• Debts and payments that must be disclosed

• Credit score and discussions about any credit issues

• Pre-qualification calculations to help determine maximum loan amount

• Down payment and closing cost estimates as well as Down Payment Assistance options (if applicable)

• Discussions about the application process, your purchase/sale agreement, appraisal, inspection, title insurance, homeowner insurance, property taxes and other closing costs

• Completing a mortgage loan application and gathering all the documents your lender will need to begin processing your loan.

• And, of course, the eHome online homebuyer course

Be sure to ask about Down Payment Assistance

Affordable housing has been a hot button topic in Grays Harbor County, and the state of Washington at-large.  Down payment assistance is just one way to make housing affordable. Adjustments to qualifying income levels are made for household size, but we are finding that more clients are now eligible for DPA as income limits have recently changed.  (See our recent blog that explains more about Down Payment Assistance!)

Rental Housing

As I mentioned above, NeighborWorks owns and manages 33 income-qualified rental units (primarily Section 8 housing) where we work closely with the Housing Authority of Grays Harbor to place qualified families in our rental units.   All these units are filled at this time and openings are filled through the Housing Authority first before being offered on the open market.  Renters must still qualify as low-income among other requirements.

Eric Bjella is the executive director of NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor; a nonprofit organization committed to creating safe and affordable housing opportunities for all residents of Grays Harbor County. For questions about home repair, housing counseling, homebuyer education and financing, call 360-533-7828, listen to the extension picks that will best help you and leave a callback name and number.