Through comprehensive education, high quality counseling, and personalized support, Kansas Home Ownership and Mortgage Education (KHOME) empowers first-time homebuyers to identify household affordability, prepare for the home purchase process, and successfully obtain and sustain homeownership. KHOME utilizes the online education curriculum through eHomeAmerica. The eHomeAmerica Homebuyer Education course covers the steps to homeownership through sections and chapters which address how to decide the right time to buy, how to shop for a home, and how to obtain a mortgage loan. This comprehensive course utilizes videos and text to present the information and learning checks and tests to determine understanding of the material. Upon course completion, participants meet with a KHOME homeownership counselor. Available in-person or by phone, counseling is provided by Diane Crabtree, Homeownership Program Manager, NeighborWorks America® certified homeownership counselor. Counseling sessions take approximately 1 hour to complete and are offered at no additional charge. A minimum of one homeownership counseling session must be completed in order to receive the eHomeAmerica Homebuyer Education course certificate of completion. Credit counseling is also available for those in need of building or repairing credit. This specialized counseling is offered at no additional charge and includes credit report review, credit score evaluation, and debt management tools, along with strategic action steps for reaching financial goals.
So far, in 2019, 72 participants received counseling. Of the 72 who completed the program and purchased their home, 18 purchased homes in Hutchinson, KS bringing the total of real-estate purchased by KHOME participants in our community to $1.5 million.