The Houseing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART) has announced they will be launching a new home buyers assistance program this spring called Opening Doors in Our Community.

San Mateo County has a strong local economy, but it has become increasingly harder, for some people that make up our workforce, to afford to buy homes here. HEART wants to help these people "put down roots" here instead of having to relocate outside the county and commute to work everyday.

The Opening Doors in Our Community Program  will be available to low to middle income workers who live or work in San Mateo County and meet some specific qualification factors such as:

·          household income, up to a maximum of $150,000;

·          location of borrower’s current job or residence and location of property to be purchased;

·          borrower is a first-time buyer or a “move-closer” buyer—one who sells primary residence to buy another one that is substantially closer to the transit corridor; and

·          satisfactory credit.

Heart will officially launch the Opening Doors in Our Community, home buyers assistance program once they have reached a Reserve Credit of $1.5 million with the help of private-sector businesses. Once this Reserve Credit has been met, this will leverage $50 million in primary mortgage loans below market terms.

Visit HEART of San Mateo County for information regarding qualification factors and which occupations may qualify for the Opening Doors in Our Community program.