News from Home nameplate
City of Boston - Thomas M. Menino, Mayor
Department of Neighborhood Development (DND)
Evelyn Friedman, Director
March 2009

Boston Home Center Hosts Successful Homebuyer Fair

On February 28, 2009, Mayor Menino and the Boston Home Center hosted the City’s first Homebuyer Fair at Dorchester’s Perkins Community Center. More than 500 residents were able to view foreclosed property listings, talk with realtors, and meet with mortgage lenders and nonprofit housing councilors about foreclosed property homeownership opportunities.

Helping prospective homebuyers

Fair attendees learned about the City’s new Cash-to-Close LIMITED program, which offers qualified, eligible homebuyers of foreclosed properties up to $25,000 in financial assistance depending on the location of the home. 

"We’re hoping to give qualified homebuyers the support they need to purchase properties currently tied up by big banks that can be difficult to deal with. And we have a lot of partners here today who are aiding us in these efforts," said Mayor Menino. "We don’t want to waste any time in getting the bank-owned homes in our neighborhoods back into the hands of new homeowners."
Read full press release ...
View video ...

The City is planning another Homebuyer Fair for Saturday, May 16, 2009, at the Tobin Community Center in Mission Hill.

Save the Date!

Saturday, April 4, 2009  

Homeowner Foreclosure Prevention Workshop

9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Madison Park High School
75 Malcolm X Boulevard, Roxbury

On Saturday, April 4th, 2009, Mayor Menino and the Boston Home Center will host the City’s second Homeowner Foreclosure Prevention Workshop at Madison Park High School, designed to offer Boston homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage an opportunity to meet face-to-face with their mortgage lender to discuss loan modifications and alternatives to foreclosure. A number of the City’s non-profit foreclosure prevention counseling partners will also be on hand to meet with homeowners about their specific circumstances. This event is designed to serve a targeted audience; participating lenders have outreached to their Boston-based borrowers who may be having trouble paying their mortgage. Please call the Boston Home Center at 617.635.HOME with questions about which lenders are attending the event.

New Federal Tax Credit
for First-Time Homebuyers

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has made possible A tax credit of up to $8,000 is now available for qualified first-time homebuyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. Unlike the tax credit enacted in 2008, the new credit does not have to be repaid. Visit the U.S. Department of the Treasury IRS website to learn more.

Helpful Links

Boston Home Center
- for homebuyers
- for homeowners
- for renters

City of Boston

Cash-to-Close Partners

Meet the Lenders

Green Roundtable

---------------------

Upcoming DND workshops
and open houses

---------------------

Having Trouble with Your Mortgage? Don’t wait – call us.

The Boston Home Center can help. Call us at 617.635.HOME and speak to a foreclosure prevention counselor today.

Looking for a Loan Modification? Want to Refinance?

The federal government’s www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov may be right for you. Check out this website to see if you are eligible. 

For more information,
visit the Boston Home Center web site
[ http://www.bostonhomecenter.com ]
or call 617-635-HOME.