BOISE - Nearly 2,200 potential home owners graduated from the Finally Home!® home buyer education program between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002—a record number of graduates during any 12-month period in the program’s history, program administrator Sue Pisani announced. Since its beginning in 1999, Finally Home!® has produced more than 5,800 graduates.

In 1999, the Idaho Partners for Home Buyer Education, Inc. created Finally Home!®, a home buyer education program designed by IHFA and several organizations statewide, to address many issues that potential home owners face. The program was created to cover all the steps involved in making that big investment, from qualifying for a mortgage and choosing a real estate professional, to making an offer and closing. The Finally Home!® program offers classes virtually every month statewide.

• Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc., Boise
• Caldwell Board of REALTORS®, Caldwell
• North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene (classes to begin Sept./Oct.)
• Greater Idaho Falls Association of REALTORS®, Idaho Falls
• Community Action Agency, Lewiston
• Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa (classes to begin Aug./Sept.)
• Pocatello Neighborhood Housing Services, Pocatello
• College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls

In each of those sites, a regional training partner teaches the classes, which are designed specifically for first-time and limited-income home buyers. Education is not the only incentive. Qualified individuals who complete the class can also become eligible to receive down-payment or closing-cost assistance. These individuals can also be approved with higher income-to-debt ratios, and may be able to use "gifted funds" at closing. The monetary assistance is a big incentive, as almost half of the program’s participants make less than 50 percent of the area’s median income.

The Finally Home!® Home Buyer Education Program is funded through a varied group of Idaho’s housing industry, who contribute financial support through membership dues and donations. The organization is directed by the Idaho Partners on Home Buyer Education, Inc., whose board of directors reflect a diverse geographic representation.

• Chairman, Jerry Centers – M & T Mortgage, Boise
• Vice President, Richard Stallings – Pocatello Neighborhood Housing Services, Pocatello
• Secretary/Treasurer, Jane Pavek – Wells Fargo Bank, Boise
• James Lau (Corporate Officer & Pres.) – Idaho Housing & Finance Assoc., Boise

• Gerald Beck, Ed.D. – College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls

• Maris Cukurs – Century 21 Greater LandCo Realty, Inc., Idaho Falls

• Dana Divin – Stewart Title Company, Boise

• Mark Dunham – Idaho Association of Realtors, Boise

• Gerald Hunter – Idaho Housing and Finance Association, Boise

• Robert Ketchum, Ph.D. – North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene

• Cindy Williams – U.S. Bank, Boise

• Sue Pisani - IHFA Home Buyer Education Administrator, Boise