The state of Nevada currently has an unemployment rate of 4.1%. While that’s great news for our state, it also means it’s more important than ever for employers to consider employment perks to grow and maintain a quality workforce (more on this below). Access to homeownership opportunities can be a HUGE perk. And the Nevada Housing Division (NHD) can help make that perk a reality for the people at your company or organization.
Bringing home to your office
Have you seen those home videos of kids absolutely losing their minds when surprised with a trip to Disneyland? That’s pretty much how the NHD team feels about seeing Nevadans get into homes of their own. To help more of you do more of that, our team hits the road regularly to spread the word about our Home Is Possible (HIP) family of homebuyer assistance programs and how they can make homeownership an honest to goodness reality — just like hugging Buzz Lightyear or plunging down Space Mountain.
As part of our road show, we partner with local lenders and real estate agents to bring homebuying information right to your conference room (or break room or lounge or roomy cubicle). And we bring lunch, too.
Get expert advice from trusted industry professionals to help you navigate the home-buying process. These free one-hour workshops include information on:
- What you need to know about buying a home in your current, local market
- The top 5 things you can do to prepare for the home-buying process
- Fundamentals of budgeting and credit
- What makes up your credit score
- Inspections and appraisals and how they affect you
- The mortgage loan process
- The State of Nevada’s down payment assistance program (where you can receive up to $20,000 for down payment and/or closing costs)
Read: Introducing Our New Program for First-Time Homebuyers
Yes, homeownership matters to employees
We want your employees to have that “we’re going to Disneyland” feeling all the time and we’re here to help! A recent Forbes article, “The Ultimate Employee Perk: Home Ownership,” explains how making homeownership easier leads to more productive and satisfied employees.
- Productivity: Traditional house hunting is time-consuming. Homebuyers have told us they appreciate the time they’ve saved at work by doing things digitally and not being interrupted with phone calls.
- Retention: Multiple studies show homeownership has a positive psychological impact on the individual, including an increased sense of investment in the community.
- Satisfaction: By making ownership more affordable, employees may have a greater chance to live near work and reduce commute times, therefore increasing satisfaction along with retention.
- Loyalty: Buying a home is an emotional process, and being an active participant in making that milestone occur for your employees and their families can naturally increase their loyalty to their employer.
- Attracting talent: According to the CNBC article, “The new generation of employees would take less pay for these job perks,” a significant number of millennials report being willing to make a small salary sacrifice if the employer provides them with certain benefits that improve quality of life and enhance their careers.
Other ways to get the scoop on HIP
If bringing our team to your workplace doesn’t work for you (see what we did there?), there are other opportunities to learn more about Home Is Possible straight from our homebuyer programs specialists.
Nia Girma and Josie Hatem are always out and about talking to prospective homebuyers throughout southern Nevada. “While the housing shortage is slowing some people down, there are always small steps they can be doing to get ready,” Josie shares. “Things like improving credit or paying down debt will help them tremendously when it comes time to make the move.” Get it? Make the move?
Read: Yes, You Can Buy A House. Even In This Market.
In addition to employer presentations, we host regular homebuyer workshops in local community centers, churches and rec centers. Josie, Nia and other members of the team are ready and willing to go wherever potential homebuyers might be. Some places where they have shared information include: Clark County Adult Education; East Valley Family Services; Urban Chamber of Las Vegas; Financial Guidance Center; Nevada Department of Health and Human Services – Aging and Disability Services Division; and Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce. 
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We also partner with local real estate organizations like the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) and the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP) to put on homebuying workshops.
“A lot of people don’t know what we have to offer,” Josie explains. “Many don’t know what questions to ask because they don’t believe it’s true that we have down payment money for them.”
Yes. I’s absolutely true. NHD’s super amazing homebuyer programs offer opportunity, savings and bonus money to low and middle income Nevadans. If you meet the requirements, you’re well on your way to getting the assistance you might need to land a home of your own.
For a list of upcoming events, you can visit www.homeispossiblenv.org/events or www.facebook.com/HomeIsPossibleNV. And if you’re interested in hosting a housing workshop for your company or community organization, you can contact Josie at jhatem@housing.nv.gov or Nia at jmgirma@housing.nv.gov.
Josie, Nia and other members of our team are crazy excited about sharing this information with you and your people. Don’t keep them waiting. Reach out today!
