The Homeownership Collaborative is seeking to increase the utilization of homeownership education and housing counseling services available nationwide.
Defined as a coalition of real estate trade associations and nonprofit housing counseling providers, the Homeownership Collaborative recently released a report outlining some of its immediate goals.
“MBA (Mortgage Bankers Association) believes in housing counseling as an important service that can make someone’s homeownership dreams come true,” Steve O’Connor, MBA’s senior vice president of Public Policy and Industry Relations, said. “The mission of our partners in the housing counseling community and the real estate industry as a whole is completely aligned.”
The report references housing counseling is a sound resource for consumers nationwide to receive free education and guidance on their path to homeownership, creating channels of opportunity that can improve the homebuyer experience and ultimately the state of the U.S. housing market.
“It is time for housing counseling to stop being the best kept housing secret,” Bruce Dorpalen, executive director of the National Housing Resource Center, said. “Homebuyers, real estate agents, and lenders all benefit when housing counselors are working with the buyers to help them succeed. Buyers can receive counseling help with downpayment assistance, improved credit, homebuyer education, mortgage paperwork documentation, and the assurance of working with an independent expert to help with a process that is complicated and intimidating.”