Homeownership

Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Vermont home prices continued to climb in the first six months of 2020, based on the latest data from Vermont Property Transfer tax records. The median home sold for $234,940, a roughly 3% increase from 2019. Although the pandemic initially depressed the number of sales, the housing market appears to have returned to near-normal conditions as of the end of June.

VHFA offers loan programs through local participating lenders to help people bridge the gap and afford to buy a home in Vermont. Getting a pre-approval from a lender is the first step in the process. Here are answers to the top 5 questions homebuyers have about pre-approvals.       

Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO)'s Fair Housing Project will host a free, hour-long webinar on Friday, July 31 at 12:30 p.m. It will discuss the current state of homeownership and housing in Vermont (including racial inequities), describe how to access community housing data, and will share resources for homeowners affected by the pandemic, including the Vermont COVID Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program.

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has announced an expansion of the Vermont Mortgage Assistance Program in order to assist more Vermont homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage and are facing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Legal Aid will host a free, 30-minute virtual town hall on Thursday, July 23 at 10 a.m. It will discuss the new financial help homeowners affected by COVID-19 can receive through the Vermont Mortgage Assistance Program as well as other programs for homeowners who may be facing foreclosure. VLA Attorney Grace Pazdan will talk about how the program works, who is eligible for assistance, and how to apply, and will answer questions live. Pre-registration is not required. 

Vermont’s new Mortgage Assistance Program was announced today to help low-income homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage and are facing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide up to three monthly mortgage payments directly to the servicer of the mortgage with a goal of preventing future foreclosure. Administered by Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) with $5 million of the funding provided to Vermont through the federal CARES Act, the program is available to any homeowner who meets the eligibility criteria, and is not just for VHFA borrowers. 

This article previously appeared as sponsored content on VTDigger. VHFA is proud to underwrite VTDigger’s independent journalism. 

COVID-19 has not changed the fact that many Vermonters still dream of owning their own home. Some want a space to call their own – like a backyard for a dog, a deck, or a garden to plant vegetables or flowers. Others may need more room for a growing family. Still others may need more space for multi-generational living arrangements.

Homebuyers - especially first-time homebuyers - usually have questions about where to start and where to find special programs. To answer these and other questions, VHFA is hosting a one-hour webinar to explain how VHFA programs can help eligible homebuyers. Topics will include:

• VHFA programs and benefits
• VHFA eligibility requirements
• How to find a participating lender and get started
• Where to start if homebuyers are not quite ready to contact a lender

WHEN
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. EST

VHFA is aware that many homebuyers, current homeowners, and property owners may have questions and concerns about buying a home or paying their mortgage during the COVID-19 outbreak.  To address these issues, VHFA has compiled a list of resources:

For homebuyers

VHFA staff will continue to be readily available to support lending partners and provide information to potential homebuyers.  We do not expect disruption to daily operations or web access. Vermonters preparing to buy a home with VHFA financing should continue to work with their participating lender, who can best advise them on navigating the approval process during this time.

For homeowners

In the midst of the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19, VHFA is committed to continuing to provide excellent service to its partners while also safeguarding the health of its staff and of the community. To that end, as of this week, VHFA will be limiting the number of staff in our office. The majority of VHFA staff will be working from home. Our staff responses may be slightly delayed due to the change in conditions, and we appreciate your patience as we adjust.

[Update: VHFA's office is closed to the public as of 3/24/20. The majority of VHFA staff continue to work from home]

Visit our website to see the latest news on our response.

 Homeownership programs