By Al Litman
A few weeks ago, I had several guests from Nevada Rural Housing Authority on my Monday morning video that I do weekly.

Mayor Al Litman

I brought them on because without a local television station, or radio, or for that matter, a local newspaper that is exclusive to Mesquite, it’s really difficult to get important information out to the public.

I avoid social media for that purpose, especially Facebook for obvious reasons. There are so many programs offered by this agency that could benefit many of our residents or those wishing to move here ,that I thought I would brief you on one this month, and more later on.

Home ownership has become just a dream for so many. With rising prices and interest rates, so many of our young, working people are priced out of the housing market. They may have decent earnings, but the down payment is nearly impossible to obtain.

With the average home price in Mesquite at around $350,000, a normal down payment would be $70,000, and an additional nearly ten per cent in closing costs.

In fact I just read that 71 percent of millennials have saved zero towards a down payment of a home. When I look back, I recall nearly every one I knew was able to gather the down payment and closing costs for a home. It wasn’t easy, but certainly not impossible, and we , and our friends were not financially well off.

However, there are programs available to assist prospective buyers in Nevada, and one of them is called, Home At Last. The program has helped thousands of families of all ages since it started in 2006. It allows a generous income maximum, no first time buyer requirement, and customizable loan options.

Now, you may hear about loan programs that are not on the up and up, as the expression goes, but this is not one of them. It’s the real thing. I won’t go into details, but they offer FHA loans with 3.5% down, and others with zero down.

Of course, all borrowers must meet normal loan underwriting requirements for the type of financing being used to purchase the home. Down payment assistance provided by the Home At Last program can be used to cover all or a portion of the down payment required for your loan, and even for closing costs.

Yes, there are program details such as income limits, debt to income ratio, minimum credit score, but no requirement to be a current Nevada resident to qualify for the program, but you must occupy the home as your primary residence within 60 days of closing.

Nevada rural housing has other programs to offer that I will bring up in the coming months. Nevada Rural Housing Authority will soon be opening up their Hafen Village Apartments. I have previewed them, and they are beautiful and with many amenities for their residents.

Financially, you have to qualify for these units, and if you contact the Nevada Rural Housing Authority you can get the details. Drive by the complex located just past the Mesquite Veterans Center on Hafen Lane, and you can get the needed contact numbers from the posted signage.

Al Litman is mayor of the city of Mesquite.