Press

On Tuesday, September 28, Boris Vatkin from HEART of San Mateo County and John Souza from Meriwest Credit Union presented about the HEART First Time Homebuyer Loan Program at the SAMCAR Marketing Meeting on Zoom. Together with Meriwest Mortgage, a subsidiary of Meriwest Credit Union, HEART has created a unique loan package that is not offered by any other lender. HEART's goal is simple: to help buyers purchase a home with 5% downpayment and no PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance). learn more at http://heartofsmc.org/

In response to higher housing costs, HEART, the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County, and Meriwest Mortgage, a wholly owned subsidiary of Meriwest Credit Union, will now allow new homebuyers in San Mateo County to purchase homes for up to $908,156. This represents a 14% increase from the previous maximum home price of $795,187. To accompany the increase in the maximum home price, the HEART loan program will offer up to $136,223 as a down payment second loan.

HEART of San Mateo County and the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®—through a $50,000 grant from the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Housing Affordability Fund—are expanding HEART's First Time Homebuyer Program to include closing costs assistance, offering up to $5,000 in closing costs assistance for first time homebuyers in San Mateo County.

Meet Julie S., an art teacher in San Mateo who was able to buy her first home with the help of HEART (Housing Endowment and Regional Trust) and Meriwest Mortgage's first time homebuyer program.