Making mortgages affordable and accessible for first-time homebuyers
Dennis Oshiro, Executive Director, Hawaii HomeOwnership Center
Challenge: Due to the high cost of homes, condominiums can be an affordable alternative for low-income families. But with costly down payments, pricy mortgage insurance and strict FHA requirements, it can be difficult for first-time homebuyers to secure loans for these purchases.
Some community-development organizations think the foreclosure crisis is over, but there’s a new emergency now hitting the elderly hard, says Lou Tisler, who recently left Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland after 12 years as executive director. That new crisis is tax foreclosures — the sale of a property due to unpaid tax liabilities.
