Emma Howland-Bolton and Sheena Crenshaw have been friends since coming to Detroit a dozen years ago as teachers. Both are East Coast transplants. Emma is…
Southwest Solutions Helps YOU Become a Homeowner!
Homebuyer Services
Our pre-purchase education and counseling programs enable aspiring homeowners to understand in detail the process of buying a home and qualify for various home-purchase assistance programs offered by the government and others.
Our HUD-approved agency employs professional, bilingual and MSHDA & HUD-certified counselors. They offer homebuyer education classes, pre-purchase counseling and financial coaching through one-on-one sessions, group workshops, and community events. All of our services are currently being offered VIRTUALLY.
How do I get started?
Please read the instructions: How to set up your My Home account
Create your account within our My Home website portal to access our classes, counselors and services. Go to the Home Purchase dropdown menu to choose either the service that you need. The My Home system will ask you to provide some basic information to allow counselors to help you.
*Be sure to fill in all information fields when prompted to enable the start of service*
We are required by our funders to collect this information, so while it may seem overwhelming at first, the information and documents you provide will allow us to better understand your current situation.
Homeownership Eduation
Learn about the home buying process and steps to qualify for a mortgage from our Southwest Solutions staff, and our lending, realtor, inspectors, and other homeownership partners
Completing a homebuyer education course or workshop is a required component by most lenders and ALL down payment assistance programs. We are currently offering monthly Homebuyer Education workshops, virtually on Zoom. After successful completion of the class and receipt of the required intake packet, participants will receive a certificate of completion (Certificate is valid for 12 months).
You can register for one of our courses by creating an account with us here.
Clients can also complete the equivalent homebuyer education by participating in an online pre-purchase program from ehome America. The cost of the course is $99. (See a 30-second ad about this eHome program.) To learn more, email Teresa Torres, our pre-purchase counselor.
Pre-Purchase Counseling
The Pre-Purchase program covers many important topics, including:
- Financial literacy
- Budget analysis
- Home affordability
- Free credit report pulls and review
- Mortgage qualifying
- Understanding the role of lenders and realtors
- Creating a step-by-step action plan
Our certified counselors’ help homebuyers qualify for loans, avoid predatory lending, prepare documentation, organize their financial planning, and make good decisions for the future. We also discuss different options for down payment assistance from various government sources.
Other Programs
Detroit Home Mortgage is a collaborative program designed to solve Detroit’s appraisal gap problem and make it easier to get a mortgage. It enables banks to lend qualified homebuyers the full amount needed to buy and rehabilitate homes anywhere in the city. More information is available here: www.detroithomemortgage.org.
Southwest Economic Solutions would like to thank our 2021 Homebuyer Education Comprehensive Sponsors:
Bank of America
Chase
CIBC
Citizens
Fifth Third
Flagstar Bank
Huntington National Bank
