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People don't call us because they need a mortgage. They call us because they need help making a housing decision.
Mortgage Matters is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based radio show and podcast hosted by mortgage advisors Roland Daniels (NMLS 355859) and Heidi Griffith (NMLS 2247754) with Geneva Financial. Airing every Sunday at 7:30 AM on KUNV 91.5 and available wherever you listen to podcasts, the show explores the real-life decisions, opportunities, challenges, and financial realities that shape where and how we live.
Every week, Roland and Heidi tackle the housing conversations people are already having around kitchen tables, at family gatherings, and on social media. Should I buy or wait? Is my first home supposed to be my dream home? Should I move up, downsize, invest, or stay put? How do I build wealth through real estate? What's the smartest use of my money? Through honest conversations and practical guidance, they help listeners make sense of the choices involved in renting, buying, selling, investing, and planning for the future.
Drawing on decades of mortgage and housing experience, Roland and Heidi break down real mortgage questions, homeownership strategies, down payment assistance programs, FHA loans, VA loans, conventional financing, housing affordability, wealth-building opportunities, and the financial realities that influence housing decisions.
Mortgage Matters also shines a spotlight on the people and organizations working to strengthen communities across Las Vegas and Nevada. Through conversations with housing advocates, nonprofit leaders, educators, elected officials, and local changemakers, the show explores the issues that affect housing, opportunity, economic mobility, fair housing, and homeownership throughout Southern Nevada.
Roland and Heidi are active community educators who lead free homebuyer workshops across Nevada in partnership with organizations including the Nevada Housing Division, Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), and Nevada Rural Housing Authority. Roland serves as a director with the local chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), and Heidi serves as President of the Silver State Fair Housing Council, where Roland is also a board member. Together, they bring mortgage expertise, housing advocacy, community involvement, and a passion for helping people make informed housing decisions to every episode.
Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a KUNV Studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 90-1.5 Jazz and more, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Roland Daniels 0:43
Good morning, Las Vegas. Welcome to Mortgage Matters. I'm Roland Daniels, a certified mortgage advisor with Geneva Financial. My NMLS number is 355859 Our company NMLS number is 42056 and I'm here this morning, as always, with my fantastic co-host Heidi Griffith. Good morning, Heidi.
Heidi Griffith 1:05
Well, good morning, Roland.
Roland Daniels 1:07
Good morning.
Heidi Griffith 1:07
How are you this Sunday?
Roland Daniels 1:08
Absolutely fantastic.
Heidi Griffith 1:10
It is wonderful sitting next to you today.
Roland Daniels 1:12
Wow, what a privilege! Yeah, it's it
Heidi Griffith 1:15
is to me absolutely. Good morning. I'm Heidi Griffith. I'm also a mortgage advisor and your director of client services. My NMLS number is 2247754 So every once in a while, something happens that I think make you and I stop and go, "Hey, we got to get this person on the
Roland Daniels 1:34
show. I agree,
Heidi Griffith 1:34
right? And that's what happened this week. Our friend Kevin Hickey with Nevada Rural Housing. He was gracious enough to be here with us this morning because he had some news to share about one of Nevada's existing homeownership programs. In fact, you're going to be among the first to hear this breaking news. Before we jump into that, I just want to talk about our upcoming Path to Homeownership workshop. That's going to be next Saturday, right?
Roland Daniels 1:57
Next Saturday on August the first, and it will take place from 830 a.m. just to about 3p.m Sometimes you may get out a little bit early.
Heidi Griffith 2:06
Yeah, they try and get you out early, but it is. It's a commitment. It's a full day commitment, but I think that it's probably the most comprehensive home ownership workshop that we've got down here.
Roland Daniels 2:16
I agree because we cover from A to Z when it comes to the home buying process,
Heidi Griffith 2:20
and it's more than just home buying. It really talks about what happens when you become a homeowner, because especially if you've never owned a home before, it does look and feel different than renting, doesn't it?
Roland Daniels 2:30
It does, and it also covers credit, budgeting, and the entire process in becoming a successful homeowner, which is our goal.
Heidi Griffith 2:40
100% successful is the big word. We're not just trying to get people into houses that they can't afford and that you know don't work out.
Roland Daniels 2:49
Right. We don't want you to be house poor.
Heidi Griffith 2:50
We want you to be a successful homeowner. We want you to be able to have generational wealth. We want you to, if it's in your goals, utilize that house as a stepping stone for other ventures. It's it's an open forum, so you can ask all of your questions. You teach the lender portion.
Roland Daniels 3:08
I do, and we'll cover the more than 20 different down payment assistance programs that we offer right here in the state of Nevada.
Heidi Griffith 3:15
Yep, and we're with CPLC. They're a HUD certified counseling agency, right?
Roland Daniels 3:19
One of five here in Nevada.
Heidi Griffith 3:20
One of five in Nevada, and they'll actually teach the Wish program.
Roland Daniels 3:24
They will
Heidi Griffith 3:24
and talk about Wish Fund.
Roland Daniels 3:25
They do. So if you would like to register, if you have any questions, you can give us a call at 702-540-0420 Once again, that's 702-540-0420 You can also head over to our Facebook page, Mortgage Matters Radio, where you'll find the link to register as well.
Heidi Griffith 3:47
So, like I said, joining us this morning, it's probably if you've listened before, it's probably a name that you've heard before, and for a really good reason. Today, we're joined by Kevin Hickey. He's the Homeownership Program Manager for Nevada Rural Housing, and if you've ever heard us talk about Home at Last, Rural Rocks, Launchpad, or just about any of Nevada Rural Housing's affordable homeownership programs, there's a good chance Kevin had a hand in bringing those programs to life or helping evolve them. Kevin works with lenders, realtors, and homebuyers all across the state, helping 1000s of families better understand their options and making sure housing professionals like us, you and me, Roland, stay up to date on what's changing. He's also become one of the people helping shape what's next for affordable homeownership right here in Nevada. Good morning, my friend.
Kevin Hickey 4:33
Good morning. Thanks for joining us.
Heidi Griffith 4:35
Thank you. It's always great. So you've got big news. We
Kevin Hickey 4:38
do have big news. Yeah.
Heidi Griffith 4:40
Let's start from the beginning. Let's talk about what it is that Nevada Rural Housing does.
Roland Daniels 4:46
Sure,
Heidi Griffith 4:46
and the program, and then we can go into the other programs if we have time, because this is a biggie.
Kevin Hickey 4:51
Yeah, absolutely. So Nevada Rural Housing homeownership programs have been around since 2006 So we are celebrating our 20th year this year with home. Ownership, which is pretty darn exciting, and in that time we've helped a little over 11,000 home buyers throughout rural Nevada, and the provided you know 60 million in down payment assistance, 2.5 billion in mortgages. So that you know when we talk about sometimes things sound a little too good to be true, and I'm like some things are, and some things are actually that good, and I and I like to think that that these programs are just that.
Heidi Griffith 5:26
We agree. Thank you.
Kevin Hickey 5:27
Yeah. So, in addition to homeownership, you know, Nevada Rural Housing does provide other services as a local housing authority through rental assistance, emergency rental programs, emergency utility assistance, things like that. So we also build and develop multifamily housing throughout rural Nevada to make sure that there's availability for housing everywhere.
Heidi Griffith 5:51
That's wonderful. You guys do do a lot. So let let's just touch again. If someone hasn't tuned in before and they really don't understand the whole rural, right? When we talk about rural in Nevada, because most of us we do we think it's you know wide open spaces. Maybe there's a horse. Maybe it takes 20 minutes to get to the closest mailbox. Whatever that looks like. What is rural? Define rural based on Nevada rural housing.
Kevin Hickey 6:17
So it's definitely an interesting interpretation, and that's because it was set by the state legislature back when Nevada rural housing was created, and that means that anywhere any tax district with a population below 150,000 is considered rural. So yes, that means those wide open spaces with horses and whatnot, but it also means right here in the Vegas Valley, so Winchester, Whitney, and Summerland South are all considered rural by that definition because there's less than 150,000 people who live in those tax districts.
Heidi Griffith 6:51
So we can utilize those programs right here in the valley.
Kevin Hickey 6:53
Absolutely, and then of course anywhere nearby-Mesquite, Perump, Laughlin-those are all eligible. Boulder City, you know, all of that's completely eligible.
Heidi Griffith 7:02
Indian Springs too, right? Indian Springs growth happening out in there. There is growth
Kevin Hickey 7:05
out there, absolutely.
Heidi Griffith 7:07
Let's let's hear about the news.
Kevin Hickey 7:08
Yes. So our latest home ownership program, as you know, Rule Rocks 20k was launched December 1 of last year, 2025 and it was intended for our essential workers, and the program came about as a result of AB 540 which was passed in the last legislative session, which was pretty monumental because it's the first time a state bill has set aside funding for home ownership, and part of the language of that bill was to prioritize essential workers in healthcare, public education, healthcare, public safety, education, and construction, and we've gotten to the point in the program where we're now allowed to open that up to anyone. So there's no longer that essential worker requirement.
Roland Daniels 7:55
And this is as of July the 20th, correct?
Kevin Hickey 7:57
Correct.
Roland Daniels 7:58
Okay.
Heidi Griffith 7:58
Wow. So this is if you've tuned in before, you've heard us talk about both Rural Rocks 20K and the Nevada Housing Worker Advantage Program. Very similar programs, right? Almost identical when they were rolled out.
Kevin Hickey 8:11
Correct, because they came about from the same bill. Right.
Heidi Griffith 8:14
Right. So they have the same stipulations. They have the same guidelines, and Nevada Housing has kind of almost exhausted those. We've we talked about that in great deal last week. They're down to under 50. They're down to under 50. Actually,
Roland Daniels 8:28
under 40.
Heidi Griffith 8:29
Under oh, it was under 40. Okay, so very few of those left. Yeah, but the the opportunity here, in my opinion, you know, if you're looking at rural, and that could be them because we're seeing a lot of people that are saying because of cost, you know, perump might be an option for us, or maybe we go to Mesquite, or maybe we look further out because the bang for the buck,
Roland Daniels 8:52
or maybe you find a property that's located in the Winchester area or Whitney,
Heidi Griffith 8:57
100% yeah, 100% and and Whitney, I mean, there we were looking at the because Nevada Rural actually has a map. I'm going to let you talk about that in a minute. But I look at that map frequently
Kevin Hickey 9:08
because it's it
Heidi Griffith 9:08
is a great tool and there's areas on a golf course
Roland Daniels 9:13
there is
Heidi Griffith 9:13
that are Nevada Rural housing approved, and so that program was very similar. Now we don't have those worker categories,
Kevin Hickey 9:22
right? So the the program itself, you know, as we've talked about, provides $20,000 in down payment assistance, and there's an option to use a portion of that to buy the rate down or to permanently lower the interest rate on that 30 year mortgage. So that cost for that rate reduction comes out of the 20,000 and then whatever's left goes toward down payment and closing costs. So you know if if if that works for folks, that's fantastic. If they need the full 20k for down payment and closing costs, that's an option too. So there is some flexibility with the program to help folks. You. Right where they are in terms of the home buying, you know, process, and then having this be able to open up to everyone is is pretty darn big.
Heidi Griffith 10:09
It's huge,
Kevin Hickey 10:10
yeah. And we knew we knew going into it that originating all these loans in the rural areas with essential worker requirement would be harder just because of the limited population. Right. And so we're grateful that that provision was in there to allow the program to open up after initially providing that period where essential workers were prioritized,
Heidi Griffith 10:30
and that makes sense because they were trying to give these folks who mean so much to these communities the opportunity if they wanted to take it.
Kevin Hickey 10:37
Right. Yeah. So we've passed that. Now it's open to everyone 20,000 in assistance, which we're so excited about,
Heidi Griffith 10:43
and we're able to structure those where it just really turns into something special for a consumer because number one takes the average home buyer seven years to save for their down payment, right? Yep. So even if you've started saving, and if you still got another year left on your saving journey, we haven't seen that crash that everyone, you know, all that chatter that we heard about prices coming down. Prices are continuing to go up. Yes, they are. So the longer it takes us to save for that down payment, what happens with prices?
Roland Daniels 11:18
And don't forget seller concessions because you can utilize seller concessions along with the $20,000 that you're getting from this program.
Heidi Griffith 11:25
We've had clients who really, really got deals utilizing the down payment program and the seller credits. Yep, coming to closing with, in some instances, as little as their earnest money deposit.
Roland Daniels 11:36
Yes,
Heidi Griffith 11:37
I'm so excited that it's open to everyone.
Kevin Hickey 11:40
Yeah, we are too. We, you know, we've been excited about this program from way back when it was talked about in the legislature, and then when it passed, and we were going through committee, making sure we had all the rules ironed out, and making it live december 1 of last year. And now having this evolution of the program is just all the more exciting.
Heidi Griffith 11:58
And is there a limit of loans that you have, or is this going to be an ongoing program?
Kevin Hickey 12:03
So there is a limit that the funding provided by the state was one time. Nevada Rule got a $4 million allocation out of that, so 20 20,000 per you know borrower. And when you boil it down, it's about 195 total loans that we can provide through the program, and we have about 150 left. Okay, so
Heidi Griffith 12:23
150 families have the opportunity of utilizing this program. And what about income? What can we make?
Kevin Hickey 12:30
So up to 150 percent of the area median income, which I know you two know that's a that's a pretty high income limit for. Yeah, we're at around
Roland Daniels 12:39
143,000
Heidi Griffith 12:41
here in the valley. Yes,
Kevin Hickey 12:42
in Clark County because it is county-based, so it does vary from one county to next. Yeah, but yeah, it it provides a very generous income limit to help you know as many people as possible through the program because the the point is to put the funding out there and make it available, but not make it so hard that nobody can use it. That's right. Then what's the point, right? So striking that balance where we can help as many people while keeping it reasonable, I think that that balance was struck really well.
Heidi Griffith 13:10
I couldn't agree more. And you know, there's a lot of myths surrounding down payment assistance programs, and one of the biggest ones that we hear all the time is that they're they're created for you know low income, yeah, low income, and that that is not the case. We're trying to overcome that largest barrier, down payment. Down payment, yeah. Second one is credit. We've got resources for that. We understand that life happens, right? Yeah. And I think that the work that you guys are doing over at Nevada Rural Housing, because you are making this hurdle that could take someone out of the game, out of home ownership indefinitely. And you know the the average home buyer right now is 42 years old, so it's getting harder and harder. Yes, it is. Yeah, and I believe firmly that homeownership is still probably the easiest way
Roland Daniels 14:02
to build to
Heidi Griffith 14:02
build wealth, maybe not the quickest,
Kevin Hickey 14:04
right? But certainly the
Heidi Griffith 14:05
easiest way. Once you've got appreciation and you start building the equity in your property, that's yours. That's yours. And programs just like Nevada Rurals are are one of those benefits that can take someone who doesn't have the money today because you have to qualify. You can you can qualify for that payment. It's saving up for that down payment, and you guys you take care of that. That is
Kevin Hickey 14:29
the entire goal of all of our programs is to overcome that barrier, and and we also know that one size doesn't fit all. So there are several different programs available to help folks, you know, with that process. So, for example, this Rural Rocks program is not a first-time homebuyer program. So you can have owned previously. You can't own at the time of closing, so you can't own other property with this program. But it's there's no first-time buyer requirement.
Heidi Griffith 14:59
So if I own. Home and I planned on selling it.
Kevin Hickey 15:02
Great,
Heidi Griffith 15:02
I could put it on the market and it just would have to close before I utilize that. Oh, okay. Which
Kevin Hickey 15:07
is you know not a atypical scenario, right? Where folks are purchasing another home and put a contingency on it that they you know I'm not buying this home until this home sells that kind of thing. So that's a perfect scenario for this as well,
Heidi Griffith 15:20
wonderful.
Roland Daniels 15:21
And one of the questions that come up: What if I'm on title for that property? Does that disqualify me? It
Kevin Hickey 15:26
depends on if you've lived in the property over the last three years. Okay. So if you have not lived in the home, we get it all the time, where there might be adult children that are on title to their parents' home, you know, for for survivor benefits. Really, that wouldn't disqualify them so long as they haven't lived in the home in the last three years. So there, there is flexibility there. We know that you know life happens and and things like that. And we think, oh, this is this is an easy way to help this survivor benefit kind of happen by putting my child on the title, and then come to find later. Oh my gosh, that took away an opportunity for them to purchase a home. That's not what our intention is at all. So yeah, there there are scenarios out there where we provide as much flexibility as we can.
Heidi Griffith 16:12
And what about being a Nevada resident?
Kevin Hickey 16:15
So yeah, so the Rural Rocks program does have a six month Nevada residency requirement.
Heidi Griffith 16:20
Okay.
Kevin Hickey 16:21
So as long as you've been here for six months, then you would qualify with that requirement.
Heidi Griffith 16:26
And a question we get a lot around that is, what if let's just say we were moving here from out of state. We're moving here from California. I moved six months before my spouse because my job was here. Do we both have to be here, or just one of us? Just one of you. Oh, okay, great.
Kevin Hickey 16:41
Just one person, and you know the the way that we prefer to verify that is with a driver's license when it was issued. Oh, but we also know that not everybody gets their license updated as soon as they move. So things like rent payments, utility payments, anything that can you know show a six month history of being in the state, even pay stubs with your local address, you know your Nevada residence, that would help too. So again, there's there's the requirement that well, we want we want your license, but we also know that's not going to be the case for everyone. So there is flexibility to work around that.
Heidi Griffith 17:16
Wonderful. So so in general, you've got to be a resident for six months, which you know most people that are tuning in right now probably are residents, so that's great. Anything else we should know about this program?
Kevin Hickey 17:28
Gosh, so it is limited funding, like we talked about. There is still about 70-5% of the original funds allocated available, so there is plenty of opportunity. But of course, with it opening up to everyone, essentially, it they will definitely go a little bit quicker. Yeah. So, and again, that's that's a good thing. You know, I always hesitate because we wish the funding were never ending and we could help everybody, but it's not. It's limited, and we also don't want it to sit in an account somewhere that's not being used for the purpose of what it was provided for, and so being able to get it out there as quickly as possible is important. And again, that goes back to why there was flexibility built in to open it up.
Heidi Griffith 18:12
Perfect. Let's can we talk about interest rates? Yeah. Because I mean, first question: Are there programs available? Second question: Are they only for low income. Third question: What's your rate?
Roland Daniels 18:23
Well, yes, because we do get those questions all the time. Still, like, oh, the credit union told us there aren't any down payment assistance programs. At least weekly, we or the money they ran out of money. Kevin made a great point. The program has been in existence since 2006 They've helped over 11,000 home buyers, 60 million.
Kevin Hickey 18:44
Yep,
Roland Daniels 18:44
and then provided $2.5 billion in mortgages. Think about that.
Kevin Hickey 18:50
Yep, and we don't show those. We don't share those numbers to tout our own horn, but it's really or to toot our own horn, but it's really to to help people recognize that this is real and that real people are using these programs and benefiting from them. Everyday people, right? So we don't want folks to count themselves out. And of course, like you just said, if if your you know credit union or or whoever you may be working with is telling you there's no programs out there, that's not true. We we know that, and you know who knows why that get that message gets out there. But there are always programs. Yeah,
Heidi Griffith 19:22
well, we offer over 20 programs. We offer over 20 different programs, and yours is at the top of that. You know, we we work with Nevada Housing and Nevada Rural Housing first and foremost because these are the programs that truly set everyone up to be successful homeowners.
Roland Daniels 19:38
I agree. There's
Heidi Griffith 19:39
other programs that look different. That may have lower FICO requirements. That may offer things. These are the cost
Roland Daniels 19:46
is a little bit higher. The interest rates are a little bit higher. So
Heidi Griffith 19:49
and so that make
Roland Daniels 19:50
things more difficult to qualify
Heidi Griffith 19:53
and more expensive
Roland Daniels 19:54
and more expensive and more
Heidi Griffith 19:54
expensive. So let's circle back to the rates because with some of those programs, you and I, the rates going to be. Depending on your credit score, the property, a ton of different things, and then there's what we call LLPAs, loan level pricing adjustments, based on all of these things. It could be credit score, it could be zip code, and that what that basically means is there's a cost that gets added on to the rate at each step. With Nevada rural housing. That's not the case,
Kevin Hickey 20:22
is it? Right. No. So you know, you you mentioned credit score. So the minimum for the program is 640 Provided the borrower has that credit score, their interest rate's not going to go up. Your rate will be the same as somebody who is has an 800 credit score. Right. And then typically too with manufactured housing, there might be not an insignificant bump in the interest rate because it's manufactured, and that doesn't happen with the program currently either. So the
Heidi Griffith 20:53
rate is the rate. The
Kevin Hickey 20:54
rate is the rate. So it makes it that much more affordable. So you know, we we have another option that I'll just touch on real briefly. That's an unassisted option. People say, "Well, why would why would I do a program like that? It's because it gives them access to that affordable credit. They get the same benefits of that lower credit score and being able to buy a manufactured home without having a higher interest rate. It
Heidi Griffith 21:16
really is important, and I can see how it could be confusing to a consumer, why would I use down payment assistance if I'm not getting any assistance, quote unquote? But you really are. You're getting the assistance in the actual rate. Roland and I talk about it a lot. We do people. You know, when we get the question, "What is your rate? That's not something that we could answer if you passed us on the street or called us on the telephone because there are so many variables about rates, and there's very few situations where it's like what we used to call par. I remember back in the '90s and early 2000s, I would call Roland every day, and I'd be like, "Hey, what's the rate? And he would give me what they considered par. That means there's no cost to that rate. Well, here's today's rate, but it was still, and it was still based on credit, and it was still based on a lot of different factors. So, if you called me today and asked me the rate, I tell you we compare what rates are out in the wild and what rates are with Nevada Housing Division and Nevada Rural Housing on the regular. And your rates are number one competitive, and without that cost associated for that rate, it makes a lot of sense.
Kevin Hickey 22:24
Yes, my favorite comparison is to look at the average 30-year fixed on you know daily basis, which always fluctuates, as we know it's market based, and you know for the majority of our programs the rate is lower than that, and it comes with assistance. You know that that 30-year fixed rate that you see on a national average doesn't come with assistance. That is not every point. And it's par.
Heidi Griffith 22:50
And the rate that you're looking at online, you don't see the fine print unless you go digging for it because it's based on credit. It's credit driven and it's loan amount of value. Yes,
Roland Daniels 23:01
20-five, 30% 30% down that you don't pay attention to that fine print, right?
Heidi Griffith 23:06
And we're seeing more and more people looking at their current finances, right? Maybe you do have 20, 3040, $50,000 saved, but maybe we don't tie it up in your property, right? Utilize a program like yours because there there isn't a payment, is there?
Kevin Hickey 23:24
No, nope. So the the program Rule Rock specifically, it does get repaid if the home is sold, right? Or at the end of 30 years. What about refinancing? Refinancing too. It will get repaid, but it is there's no interest on that. So you're getting to borrow $20,000 at no cost to you to help you get into this home to potentially help you save money that you might already have in the bank and to keep it for a rainy day or you know keep it what I just bought a new house I need furniture curtains whatever it might be you know you can have that funding to use and use ours instead without any interest. And then, when you do sell or refinance the home, it gets paid off as part of the normal transaction. So you know, it's it in very most likely scenarios. You know, it just gets paid out of the proceeds from the sale of the home. Hopefully, you have the equity, right? You build up the equity. Yep. So it's not. It seems kind of scary sometimes. Like, oh my gosh, I might have to write a $20,000 check. That I haven't seen that in the program since I've been here. It's always either rolled into the new loan amount if it's a refinance, or it's covered out of the proceeds of the sale of the home.
Heidi Griffith 24:40
Right. And even if you refinance, you you possibly have that equity in your property, and that's the goal. The goal is, and when we set these files up for our clients, that's kind of what we explain. Now, life happens, right? So there's going to always be one-off scenarios, but in most instances, by the time they get ready to remove that, because it's a silent second, right? No payment, no. Interest, so you're not making a second payment. A lot of down payment programs do. You have a payment. Here we don't have a payment, and I like to tell people because when people ask me about it, because that that is a big. A lot of people are like, I have to repay it, and I'm like, well, yeah, you know, free free money is expensive. Yeah, and not this. And I'm not talking about Nevada housing. I'm talking about these other programs. Yeah, there's programs out there that are five-year forgivables, right? They're they're national programs, but they're very expensive to do.
Kevin Hickey 25:26
Yeah,
Heidi Griffith 25:26
very expensive. They are. And when we take a look at a program like Nevada Rural Housings, if if you came up to me tomorrow and said, "Hey, Heidi, I want to give you $20,000, you know, just pay me back whenever you want.
Kevin Hickey 25:40
Yeah, that's exactly it.
Heidi Griffith 25:41
And and we're
Roland Daniels 25:42
30 years later.
Heidi Griffith 25:43
And you're not going to give me dirty looks when I buy a new car or new shoes or go on vacation. Yeah, it just sits quietly back. Just sits
Kevin Hickey 25:52
quietly there. Yep. And when you sell the house, it gets paid off just like the loan does.
Heidi Griffith 25:56
Yep. And and that money now allows you to continue to recirculate funds for future homebuyers, right?
Kevin Hickey 26:02
Absolutely, and that's the intention behind you know having that money come back into the program is that we are able to you know offer that to folks down the road, so that it you know some of these programs are one time funded, but we want to be able to offer that funding in a in a different program down the road as it comes back.
Heidi Griffith 26:22
I think it's wonderful, and then we can think about you know you're utilizing the assistance now. Maybe your kids will have the opportunity when it's their turn.
Kevin Hickey 26:29
Great, absolutely.
Heidi Griffith 26:31
So what else we got? Any other good programs?
Kevin Hickey 26:33
Yeah. So I'm going to touch real quick on Hellmap because you mentioned that the mapping. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Heidi Griffith 26:38
If
Kevin Hickey 26:38
you go to H A L M A p.org that is where folks can type in an address and find out if it's considered rural. And you only need to do that if you're looking right here in the Vegas Valley. Anywhere outside of Clark County is going to be 100% eligible. If we have folks listening from up north, Reno is the only other big area that's not eligible. The city of Sparks is so Washoe County and Clark County are really the only two that you need to map. Everywhere else is 100 eligible. As for other programs, I can touch on that quickly. We have Launchpad and Launchpad for first-time homebuyers. So those programs provide a percentage of the loan amount in assistance to borrowers, but same concept as Rural Rocks. You know, it's to help folks get into a home, and if they qualify for that first bar or first-time homebuyer program, they're going to get interest rate for it.
Heidi Griffith 27:28
And for just for Launchpad, what's our income limit?
Kevin Hickey 27:33
So the income limit is for the first-time homebuyer program. It's determined by HUD and is based on county and household size.
Heidi Griffith 27:40
So we can get that information. So that
Kevin Hickey 27:42
information's on our website byrulenv.org, b-u-y-r-u-r-a-l-nv.org. That is there, and then for the regular Launchpad program, it allows incomes up to 160-5000
Heidi Griffith 27:55
Time is is running short yet again. Yes, sit here all day.
Kevin Hickey 27:58
All day.
Heidi Griffith 27:59
You're in your seat. You're always welcome to come back. I appreciate that. Thank you so much for being here today. If you have any questions, how do people reach you?
Kevin Hickey 28:07
Oh, great question. You can email me kevin@nvrule.org or you can call me at 775-600-5951
Heidi Griffith 28:16
And we'll make sure that we actually post your information on our Facebook page. That's Mortgage Matters Radio. We'll have Kevin's information and link to the Nevada Rural Housing website.
Kevin Hickey 28:26
Awesome!
Heidi Griffith 28:27
A huge thank you to Kevin Hickey for joining us and sharing this exciting update with our listeners. If today's conversation brought up questions about buying a home, down payment assistance, or whether one of these programs might work for you, we'd love to help. Please feel free. Give us a call or text us. We're at 702-540-0420 Again, our number is 702-540-0420
Roland Daniels 28:50
Thank you for spending part of your Sunday morning with us. We'll see you right back here next Sunday at 730 a.m. right here on KUNV 91.5 for another edition of Mortgage Matters. Until then, believe in what's possible, and remember, stay true to yourself and your mind.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai