Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Ron Rothenberg) (03/16/91)
Index Number: 14045 Here's the final text for "Acessible Apartment Hunting Hints." Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions. When looking for an accessible apartment: * State your needs clearly - use concrete terms. Say: "I need 18 inches on either side of the toilet," not "I need a big bathroom." Don't be shy when describing why you need a certain feature. Knowing why helps the other person know if the apartment fits. * Don't sweat the small stuff. Be reasonable in your requirements. No home is perfect immediately. Even non-disabled people must make changes to make a house a home. Make sure the expensive modifications are there - ramping, hallway size, bathroom size, etc. Doors can be widened and light switches adapted cheaply. Under the new Fair Housing Laws, the landlord must allow you to make your own reasonable adaptations. * Opportunity knocks - Check with your rehab commission or independent living center. Landlords often call in search of tenants. Check display ads in the Sunday paper for the universal wheelchair symbol. This symbol means that there are some accessible apartments in that building. Look for ads in disability-related publications. * Get professional help - Speak to several real estate agents. Work with only one, so there is an incentive for that agent to find you a home. Call the office manager and ask for an agent who may have experience with wheelchair accessible housing. Divide your requests into "musts" and "would-be-nice" features. * Know your rights - If you encounter discrimination, inform the landlord of your rights in a helpful way - don't be adversarial unless necessary. Disabled persons are among the newest protected classes. Many landlords do not know that a companion or guide dog is not considered a pet, or that you're entitled to make reasonable changes to make your apartment more livable. If you don't tell them, they may never know. * New Construction = More accessibility (usually). Most rental housing that recently went into service must have some units built to accessible or adaptable standards. * Need a lift? - If you live in a high-rise building, it's good to have more than one elevator so that you don't get stranded if one breaks. * How's the neighborhood? - Check out curb-cuts and access to stores & transit in the area. * Be kind to your landlord - Appreciate enlightened landlords who maintain accessible housing. Though it's the law, it's nice to have a few strokes for being a good, accessible landlord. If there are other vacant accessible units, let people know. If accessible homes were always rented, more would be built. * In case of emergency - Is there an alternate accessible exit? * Change of season - When looking at a home in summer, consider the accessibility when there is ice and snow on the ground. * Choose carefully! - so you won't have to go through this again soon. If you're pleased with the home, consider a long-term lease. * For an accessible home, call *HomeBase Real Estate* at (617) 489-4812. (c) Copyright 1991 Ronald S. Rothenberg. The copyright holder grants the right to reprint and distribute this article to any non-profit group or disabilities-related newsletter. Editors may remove the final point, as long as credit is given in the byline. Please send copies of all publications including this letter to Ron Rothenberg, P.O. Box 212, Waverly, MA 02179. For a typeset master of a brochure of these points, send a SASE to the address given above. ... Question Authority! Why should I? -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460!Ron.Rothenberg Internet: Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org
Marc.Moyantcheff@f71.n135.z1.fidonet.org (Marc Moyantcheff) (03/21/91)
Index Number: 14101 hi ron, Q. are there any Govmt. programs that lends $$$$ at low interst rates to buy property, house/condo ? something like the S.B.A. (small business adm.) LENDS up to $150k at 3% p/yr to disabled persons. yes , theres F.H.A. , V.A. programs..... is there something better? let me kno ASAP........ thanx, Marc Moyantcheff -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!135!71!Marc.Moyantcheff Internet: Marc.Moyantcheff@f71.n135.z1.fidonet.org
Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Ron Rothenberg) (03/22/91)
Index Number: 14119 >hi ron, > Q. are there any Govmt. programs that lends $$$$ at low > interst rates to buy property, house/condo ? something > like the S.B.A. (small business adm.) LENDS up to $150k at 3% p/yr > to disabled persons. > yes , theres F.H.A. , V.A. programs..... is there something > better? Hi Marc, Virtually all subsidized mortgages are handled at the state level, under federal guidelines and legistlation. The two most widely available programs are the State Housing Finance Agency General Lending Programs - - - - they sell tax-free bonds and then lend out money at the lower interest rate (about 2% below going rate). They do give priority to people with disabilities. They do allow for low down-payments (5% with 2 1/2% coming from borrower). They still have usual underwriting standards, but since the interest rates are lower, you can qualify for a larger loan. They lend only for primary residences. If you move out and rent the home you must refinance. The other widely available programs are Mortgage Credit Certificates. These are now available in 30 some-odd states. With an MCC you can go to any approved lender (over 12 in Mass. ) and use any mortgage product they have. With the MCC 20% of the interest you pay becomes a federal tax credit (not a deduction, a credit!). Also to help you qualify, that tax credit is subtracted from the mortgage payment before computing the qualifcation ratios. This allows you to use something other than a 30-year fixed - so ARMS, one-steps, two-steps, etc., are available under this program. Happy househunting! P.S. Also available in many states is low-cost home-improvement loans to adapt a home. In Mass. the current rates for the HILP (Home Improvement Loan Program) are 3.9% for low-income borrowers (under about $30,000/yr. and 8.9% (still not bad) for borrowers under about $40,000) -rsr- ... Question Authority! Why should I? -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460!Ron.Rothenberg Internet: Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org
Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Ron Rothenberg) (04/04/91)
Index Number: 14614 Here's the final text for "Acessible Apartment Hunting Hints." Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions. When looking for an accessible apartment: * State your needs clearly - use concrete terms. Say: "I need 18 inches on either side of the toilet," not "I need a big bathroom." Don't be shy when describing why you need a certain feature. Knowing why helps the other person know if the apartment fits. * Don't sweat the small stuff. Be reasonable in your requirements. No home is perfect immediately. Even non-disabled people must make changes to make a house a home. Make sure the expensive modifications are there - ramping, hallway size, bathroom size, etc. Doors can be widened and light switches adapted cheaply. Under the new Fair Housing Laws, the landlord must allow you to make your own reasonable adaptations. * Opportunity knocks - Check with your rehab commission or independent living center. Landlords often call in search of tenants. Check display ads in the Sunday paper for the universal wheelchair symbol. This symbol means that there are some accessible apartments in that building. Look for ads in disability-related publications. * Get professional help - Speak to several real estate agents. Work with only one, so there is an incentive for that agent to find you a home. Call the office manager and ask for an agent who may have experience with wheelchair accessible housing. Divide your requests into "musts" and "would-be-nice" features. * Know your rights - If you encounter discrimination, inform the landlord of your rights in a helpful way - don't be adversarial unless necessary. Disabled persons are among the newest protected classes. Many landlords do not know that a companion or guide dog is not considered a pet, or that you're entitled to make reasonable changes to make your apartment more livable. If you don't tell them, they may never know. * New Construction = More accessibility (usually). Most rental housing that recently went into service must have some units built to accessible or adaptable standards. * Need a lift? - If you live in a high-rise building, it's good to have more than one elevator so that you don't get stranded if one breaks. * How's the neighborhood? - Check out curb-cuts and access to stores & transit in the area. * Be kind to your landlord - Appreciate enlightened landlords who maintain accessible housing. Though it's the law, it's nice to have a few strokes for being a good, accessible landlord. If there are other vacant accessible units, let people know. If accessible homes were always rented, more would be built. * In case of emergency - Is there an alternate accessible exit? * Change of season - When looking at a home in summer, consider the accessibility when there is ice and snow on the ground. * Choose carefully! - so you won't have to go through this again soon. If you're pleased with the home, consider a long-term lease. * For an accessible home, call *HomeBase Real Estate* at (617) 489-4812. (c) Copyright 1991 Ronald S. Rothenberg. The copyright holder grants the right to reprint and distribute this article to any non-profit group or disabilities-related newsletter. Editors may remove the final point, as long as credit is given in the byline. Please send copies of all publications including this letter to Ron Rothenberg, P.O. Box 212, Waverly, MA 02179. For a typeset master of a brochure of these points, send a SASE to the address given above. ... Question Authority! Why should I? -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460!Ron.Rothenberg Internet: Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org