NHS of Boise's Seminar Certificate Request Form
Category: Best Homeownership Marketing Strategy
Information About Innovation:
Title:
NHS of Boise's Seminar Certificate Request Form
Summary:
Neighborhood Housing Services of Boise, Idaho, has developed a system that maximizes the collection of information required for program evaluation and reporting. Utilizing this system helps capture information formerly lost when homebuyer education graduates failed to report back to us after they purchased a home. Our system allows us to more accurately reflect the full impact of our work. Showing a greater impact also helps attract new partners.
Detailed Description:
Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. of Boise (NHS/B) is a non-profit partnership of neighborhood residents, private business and government working to encourage, create and sustain vital neighborhoods. NHS/B was established in 1982 as a small neighborhood revitalization effort in a target neighborhood. Today it is a statewide organization with a wide array of programs ranging from homeless intervention to homeownership.
NHS/B is a Full Cycle Lender offering first and second mortgage products, home buyer education, pre- and post-purchase counseling and financial fitness education. In 1999, NHS/B was certified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a CDFI, offering downpayment and closing cost assistance to low and moderate families throughout Idaho. Loans have been made in 38 of Idaho’s 44 counties. NHS/B was the number one homeownership producer in the 5-Year NeighborWorks® Campaign for Homeownership 2002.
Over 700 potential home buyers are educated annually through NHS’B’s home buyer education seminars. Capturing information on seminar graduates who purchased their homes from other lenders after completing home buyer education was very time consuming and often impossible. We were presenting Seminar Certificates at the end of each seminar and then had no efficient way to collect information when graduates purchased homes.
To assist in collecting accurate and timely information NHS/B developed a “Seminar Certificate Request Form.” Now graduates receive the Form instead of a Certificate. The Form requests all information needed for NWorks and the HUD Form 1. Seminar graduates present the completed Form to their lender during the loan application process. The lender faxes it to us and we return a Certificate. This system provides the lenders with proof that the customer received home buyer education, and NHS/B is able to collect accurate and complete information for reporting requirements and program evaluation. This has proven to be efficient and has increased the number of homeowners we are able report.
KEY to this process is a close working relationship we have with our lender partners. They realize the value of home buyer education and often require it for loan products designed for first time home buyers. This process also benefits our lender partners as it streamlines their reporting. Their cooperation in requiring proof of home buyer education is instrumental in the success of this new system.
Projected Cost:
The Certificate Request Form is printed in-house, making the annual cost negligible. The value of the time saved in tracking down information for HUD reporting requirements is significant.
2003 Outcomes:
We have used the Certificate Request Form for several years. It has proven to save thousands of dollars in staff time, provides lenders with an efficient process to get certificates for their files, and provides an accurate and timely count of seminar graduates purchasing homes.
We estimate that this process results in an increase of 25% to 40% additional new home buyers reported.
Website:
http://www.boisenhs.org
Keywords:
Homeownership, Marketing, Reporting, Seminars
Information About Organization:
Name:
Neighborhood Housing Services of Boise, Inc.
Address 1:
416 S. 8th, Suite 101
City, State, Zip:
Boise, Idaho 83702
Org. Status:
501c3 Non-Profit
Contact Name:
Carol Anderson
Contact E-mail:
andersoc@boisenhs.org
Contact Phone:
208-343-4065 x108
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