OGDEN, Utah — Starting Tuesday, there’s more funding available for the "Own-in-Ogden" program to help people buy homes.
The program has been around since 1988 and has helped around 2,000 people buy homes. Sarah Schelin is one of them.
"I was a single mom, and I just needed some stability for myself and my son,” said Schelin. "I was tired of moving every six months to a year, and trying to start that all over."
Schelin had never considered even buying a home until a friend told her about the program.
"It was the best thing that ever happened to us," she said. "It’s weird to think about how far I’ve come and how different my life would have been if I never would’ve bought a home, so I want that for everyone."
Own-in-Ogden is a loan program to help buyers with the down payment or with closing costs when buying a home. Based on household incomes, people can be eligible for up to $10,000, which only needs to be paid back when selling the home.
“$10,000 is a lot of money when you’re buying a house,” said Schelin, "And to not have to come up with that out of pocket just makes it where so many more people can do something they never thought they'd be able to do."
WATCH: Utah house market still tough for buyers, with median price over half-million
And there are more funds available for people with certain professions.
“For teachers, city employees, they can get up to $15,000. And first responders — police and firefighters, specifically — can get $20,000,” said Jeremy Smith, the community development director with Ogden City. “Those are some incentives that we offer to try and reach out to those in our community and just make it a little easier to buy a home."
There are some conditions. The loans are income-restricted, and if it’s an existing home, it has to be valued under $430,000, or a new construction can be up to $467,000. The loan is available to anyone, not just first-time home buyers.
"Anyone who's looking for a home right now is struggling,” explained Smith. “So programs like these, they don't solve it, they do take away a little bit of the pain that homeownership, that entry to get in."
Schelin is a realtor now with Ascent Real Estate Group and hopes to help more people use programs like Own-in-Ogden, which changed her life.
"Words can’t even express. It’s what got me to where I am today and where I'm going to continue to go,” added Schelin.
You can learn more about the program and apply HERE.
