A “Pathway to Purchase” for Phoenix Home Buyers

The Arizona Department of Housing released the “Pathway to Purchase” program promoting the purchase of homes in 17 areas surrounding Phoenix, Arizona which have been hard-hit by mass foreclosures.

In the spring of 2016, the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) released its Pathway to Purchase (P2P) program, which encourages the purchasing of properties in areas burdened by foreclosures in the wake of the U.S. Housing crisis. This program offers down-payment and refinancing assistance to first-time and existing home owners in 17 cities surrounding Phoenix, Arizona. The goal of the program is to decrease the number of vacant properties and encourage residency in these areas by offering incentivizing financing for potential home owners in the Phoenix area.

The “Pathway to Purchase” Program is a government program funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury with a budgeted commitment of $48 million. Allotments will be made on a first come, first serve basis, to qualified homeowners in the designated cities outside of Phoenix who intend to use the property as a primary residence. 17 cities, most within an hour’s drive of Phoenix, are listed under the program guidelines.

Qualifications for the “Pathway to Purchase” buyer are geared toward enabling those who qualify for traditional loans through ADOH sanctioned lenders, but require assistance with the down payment and closing costs of a home purchase. The primary restriction on the purchaser is an income that does not exceed $92,984.

In order to alleviate the vacant housing problem, qualifying properties under the “Pathway to Purchase” program must be existing, previously occupied properties, meaning no new construction or spec homes. The sale price of P2P properties is also stipulated as being below a $371,936 limit.

Once a “Pathway to Purchase” buyer has qualified and the property selected, homebuyers are required to take a home ownership education course after which a P2P loan can be issued which will provide up to $20,000 toward the down payment. This loan can also be applied toward closing costs, furthering alleviating an initial financial hurdle for the buyer. In addition, the program provides a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which can be borrowed against as a second mortgage. Second mortgages on “Pathway to Purchase” homes are equal to 10% of the purchase price and are issued in the form of a forgivable lien against the property at 0% interest with no required monthly payments.

For a list of cities in the Phoenix, Arizona area included in the program, or for more information on “Pathway to Purchase” visit The Justin Haines Team website.

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