Governor Larry Hogan and Secretary Holt Announce Second Phase of “You’ve Earned It!” Initiative for Veterans and Military Families

Offers Special Rate, Down-Payment Assistance to Promote Home Buying

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan and Secretary Kenneth Holt today announced a $20 million initiative that will give a boost to veterans and military families who are looking to buy a home in one of Maryland’s 86 Sustainable Communities. The “You’ve Earned It!” initiative for veterans and military families offers low mortgage rates and significant down-payment assistance for active military and those honorably discharged veterans and veterans with a disability. The first phase of “You’ve Earned It!” – aimed at qualified homebuyers with more than $25,000 in student loan debt – was announced May 4.

“I am very proud of this new initiative, which helps our brave men and women in uniform and their families to achieve the American dream of homeownership and establish roots here in Maryland,” said Governor Hogan. “The program is not only good for our economy, but good for our communities.”

Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Kenneth Holt added, “Owning a home helps families create a financial legacy for their children; it stabilizes and brings economic investment into the state’s communities, and it puts the power of the housing market to work to revitalize Maryland’s economy. We are pleased to offer this program to members of our military and recognize all they do to keep our communities safe and stable in these times.”

Through the “You’ve Earned It!” initiative, the Maryland Mortgage Program is offering a 2.75 percent fixed-rate, 30-year mortgage and $10,000 in down-payment assistance to active duty military, including Reserves and National Guard, as well as honorably discharged veterans and honorably discharged disabled veterans. The “You’ve Earned It!” initiative is for a limited time until the $20 million allocation is exhausted.

“We named this program ‘You’ve Earned It!’ for a very good reason,” said Secretary Holt. “Through this program, we are opening the door to homeownership for families who have earned it, while stimulating our housing market and changing Maryland’s economy for the better.”

Maryland’s Sustainable Communities program seeks to strengthen reinvestment and revitalization in the state’s older communities through state, local and private sector partnerships. There is at least one designated Sustainable Community in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City. A list of Maryland’s Sustainable Communities can be found at http://www.mdhousing.org/website/programs/dn/communities.aspx.

A property address in a sustainable community can be identified and confirmed by the map in the following link: http://www.bit.ly/dhcd_scmap.

For information about the Maryland Mortgage Program, as well as other loan specials, participating lenders and homeownership counselors in your area visit http://mmp.maryland.gov.

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