Your Intermittent News & Updates |
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Why It's So Very Expensive To Fix or Remodel
Your Home Right Now (and what do about it)
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We've all heard about recent bidding wars for homes for sale, even those properties that just one year ago may have sat on the market for months. That demand for new homes, old homes, remodeled homes and bigger homes is one of the driving factors increasing prices for anything house related. Demand is far outstripping supply, especially in the lumber and plywood markets. Add to that crazy mix, tariffs, labor shortages, delivery and supply chain issues, oh, and one worldwide pandemic and you have a home building and remodeling market like no one could have imagined. House prices are 10-20% over asking price. Lumber and plywood costs fluctuate between 80-120% more than the previous year and other items like planting supplies, windows and appliance can be double the usual price if they can be found in any larger quantity.
What to do about these high prices? Well, depending on your project, you may want to delay it for a period of time until prices level off. You could also change the material you are using or change the focus of the project to parts that are most affordable. If you simply want or need to get it done now, read below for the latest 1% home improvement programs and the always flexible FlexLoan.
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Onondaga County adds Grants & Expands Eligible Areas to 1% Home Improvement Program |
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Onondaga County 1% Home Improvement Loans of up to $20,000 with grants of up to $6,000 are now available for exterior and emergency repairs for eligible homes in expanded areas of the County. Households interested in applying, must meet income eligibility and have had some COVID impact at any time from 2020 to now. Expanded Onondaga County areas:
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Village of Baldwinsville
Bayberry Neighborhood
Village of East Syracuse
Hamlet of Fairmount
Village of Jordan
Village of Liverpool
Hamlet of Lyncourt
Hamlet of Mattydale
Hamlet of Minoa
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Hamlet of Nedrow
Village of North Syracuse
Hamlet of Seneca Knolls
Syracuse Court-Woodlawn Neighborhood
Syracuse Northside Neighborhood
Syracuse Washington Square
Neighborhood
Hamlet of Village Green
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Funding is made possible for this program through Onondaga County and the U.S. Department of HUD.
There are many more home improvement programs available to help you get those home repairs or home remodels to the finish line. You can check them all out on our website under Homeowners "Loans and Grants."
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Reaching Out Buffalo-Style |
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When Home HeadQuarters was asked to administer two loan programs in Buffalo and surrounding Erie County to help address emergency and health and safety repairs for both homeowners and landlords, we knew we needed help getting the word out.
Meet city of Buffalo-based Paul Pèrez, HHQ's new Buffalo Site Director. Paul joins the organization as an enthusiastic Buffalo supporter, passionate development professional and committed community organizer tasked with delivering these programs to the property owners and neighborhoods where they are needed most.
Mr. Pèrez worked previously for the City of Buffalo in the Division of Citizen Services as the SOS Taskforce Coordinator and helped manage the city's Clean Sweep and Bawdi Houses Programs. He is a HUD-certified housing counselor, licensed mortgage loan servicer and holds a Masters of Public Administration from Buffalo State College. The current city of Buffalo homeowner and landlord believes that generational wealth built through homeownership and real estate development can provide disenfranchised communities with real equity. Mr. Pèrez and his fiancé, children's book author Kara Oliver, plan to wed later this year.
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NeighborWorks Week: Bridging the Gaps |
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Home HeadQuarters is celebrating NeighborWorks Week (June 5-12), an annual event highlighting the work of HHQ and all 250 NeighborWorks organizations across the country working to give residents the tools and assistance they need to create vibrant, equitable and welcoming communities.
Since its inception in 1983, NeighborWorks Week has highlighted both the collective impact of NeighborWorks America’s network and how each of its member organization takes a unique, tailored approach to serving its particular neighborhood or community. In Syracuse, Home HeadQuarters fills wealth and attainment gaps by providing homeownership education, affordable single-family home development and accessible financing for homeowners, “Mom and Pop” landlords and small, local businesses. Last year, Home HeadQuarters was the number one home improvement lender throughout the entire NeighborWorks America member network.
In fiscal year 2020, the NeighborWorks network provided more than 438,600 housing and counseling services; owned and managed 179,900 rental homes; and created 43,810 jobs. The NeighborWorks network was founded and is supported by NeighborWorks America, which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities.
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Home HeadQuarters recently welcomed two new employees to its front end and lending teams: Christian Heyliger (pictured left) and Jamaris Negron-Carter.
Christian joins HHQ as a Receptionist/Administrative Assistant focusing on helping all our phone and in-person customers get to the right person or department for assistance. The Army Veteran comes to HHQ via the Syracuse City School District Food Services division. While Christian says she likes food AND helping people, she's picky about food so she's happy to join HHQ. Christian is also on track, along with her nine year old son, to become a HHQ first-time homebuyer!
Jamaris joins HHQ as a Lending Administrator and is primarily focused on getting SHARP grants closed, calling customers for missing documents and touching base with contractors. She joins the organization from Onondaga County's WIC Program where she was an outreach worker helping to verify and approve applications for customers. Jamaris is also a former HHQ HomeOwnership Program customer and purchased her first home in Syracuse's Westside Skunk City neighborhood where she lives with her family, including two daughters and her stepson. The New Jersey native says she loves Home HeadQuarters' staff and thinks her co-workers and managers are "amazing" (we are putting that on a plaque in the office).
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Homsite and partners work with Auburn residents to make their homes safer |
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Much like HHQ, our Auburn affiliate Homsite works to be sure customers don’t just have affordable housing, but also housing that is safe and healthy. Over the last three years, with funding from the New York State DEC Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant Program, Homsite has been working with the Cayuga County Health Department, Cayuga Community Health Network and CNY Fair Housing to educate Auburn tenants and landlords on simple steps they can take to make their homes and rental properties healthier.
Workshops and lead Renovation, Repair and Painting trainings reached nearly 100 tenants and landlords and last month, the project culminated in providing more than 200 families enrolled in Head Start with Healthy Home kits in partnership with Community Action Program Cayuga/Seneca. Kits included a variety of educational materials detailing healthy home tips and supplies to put these tips into action, including wet wipes (to wipe up dust that could contain lead), carbon monoxide detectors, green cleaning supplies and more. Homsite looks forward to continuing its work with community partners to reduce home health hazards and keep children healthy and safe!
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Better Credit is Just One Phone Call Away |
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"My name is Barbara and I am from Cuba. I have been here for more than 20 years, and no one has ever taken the time to teach me about credit, finances, or becoming a homeowner. I was referred to the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center as a Covid resource and have met with Audriana three times and have already learned so much. Each session I have a better understanding of how everything works. I am looking forward to buying a house and learned that New York State offers financial assistance to first-time homebuyers and Home HeadQuarters even offers homebuyer education classes in Spanish! I had no idea!!!"
"I told Audriana I hate carrying debt and want to pay off my car loan to position myself for homeownership and learned that each situation is different and I may be better off paying my credit cards first than my car loan to increase my credit score. Everything is super good and Audriana is always one phone call away."
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Before & After: It's all White? |
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Putting the final touches on a house we're rehabbing on Syracuse's Westside. Maybe we should have kept the pink in the bathroom? |
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