By now we know that most family/home/kid purchases are made by Mom. Mom’s run errands, buy groceries, choose gifts, and watch out for great money saving opportunities. Some moms, like me, are really frugal. It is no surprise that many moms work hard to keep a tight budget. With all that is going on in our economy, keeping our homes affordable is important. If you are like me, understanding all the home buying, refinancing, and other related programs is overwhelming. I don’t have the time that it takes to understand what the various home affordability programs mean for the average family and home buyer. First time home buyer’s or previous owners who have not owned a home in the last 3 years have the opportunity to receive an $8000.00 credit and the time  is running out for this program (deadline is Nov. 30th) Don’t fit into this category? There may be other great options too.

Luckily, one mom, who actually lives across the street for me volunteered to help explain some of this to moms in terms we can understand and answer your questions via email. Maybe these home affordability programs are an option for you, maybe not. Maybe you know someone who’s asked about this, but could really use another mom to explain it. I talked to Melissa Roterdam who is willing to help if you need it. She is a mom, realtor, and Minnesotan with some great connections. Please feel free to email her if you would like some assistance you can trust (mnm@teamroterdam.com ) I know she works closely with Ian McDonald (author of the podcasts mentioned below), whom I also know. He works very hard to make home financing work for the average person. Together, they will help you figure out if you have better, more affordable home options.

Melissa states, “I love to work with first time home buyers educating them on the home buying process and helping them put a team together on their behalf, with help from local professionals. My young clients have said to me “once a mom, always a mom”, because I look out for them like I would my own kids.”

There are  quite a few programs for Rural Development and one is limited to Minnesotans.

According to Melissa, ” I have had clients whom have used this program and it made a world of difference for them in terms of what they could afford and amount of money needed down. It’s a great opportunity if you qualify.”

What’s the harm in finding out? Rural Development programs offer benefits like no down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance and more!

For more information, you can visit Melissa’s website here.  You can also chat with Melissa on Twitter here http://twitter.com/MplsRealtorX2   Melissa recommends these great podcasts that explain the programs and processes located here.