"Good Neighbor Next Door" Program from US Dept. of HUD

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development aims to "create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all."

One of the ways HUD is working to strengthen the market and empower consumers is through the GOOD NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR SALES PROGRAM which offers certain HUD-owned properties at a 50% discount for a period of 7 days in targeted "revitalization areas."

"Good Neighbor Next Door (GNND)" candidates are required to live at the property for three years as their sole residence, and agree to certify their eligibility every year. Candidates and/or their spouses cannot have owned any real property in the previous calendar year. HUD mandates that you sign a second mortgage and note for the discount amount, but no interest payments are required on this “silent second” provided that you fulfill the three-year occupancy requirement.

"Good Neighbor" candidates must be a full-time teacher (K-12), local law enforcement officer, firefighter or EMT. The requirements are as follows:

• Teachers may participate in the "Good Neighbor Next Door" program if they are employed full-time by a state-accredited public school or private school that provides direct services to students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. In addition, the public or private school where you are employed as a teacher must serve students from the community where the home you are purchasing is located.
• Law enforcement officers need be employed full-time by an agency of the federal government, state, unit of general local government, or an Indian tribal government. In carrying out such full-time employment, you are sworn to uphold, and make arrests for violations of, federal, state, tribal, county, township, or municipal laws.
• Firefighters and emergency medical technicians may participate in the GNND program if they are employed full-time as a firefighter or EMT by a fire department or emergency medical services responder unit of the federal government, state, unit of general local government, or an Indian tribal government serving the area where the home is located.

Team Gale agents are well versed in the intricacies of buying and investing in real estate, and stay up to date on state and national programs that will benefit their clients. Like the "Good Neighbor Next Door" program from HUD, the state of North Carolina offers the Workforce Housing Specialist designation. This certification, anchored and funded by the NAR 'Homes4NC' foundation, aims to assist teachers, police officers, fire fighters, government employees, and hospital workers to achieve their dreams of home ownership. Three REALTORS(r) on Team Gale currently hold the designation. 

"I enjoy helping people, but it’s especially rewarding to assist the teachers, firefighters, and police officers that are the backbone of our community," Team captain and area broker Tom Gale notes. Programs like GNND and WHS "give us the tools to assist these vital members of our community in purchasing a home," he explains.

The WHS certification process informs the involved agents about federal, state, and local housing programs, as well as the various resources available to serve this special pool of homebuyers, who may earn less than the area median income. The WHS is currently offered through a partnership of realtor associations in Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greenville, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington, NC.