Local News

AUSTIN (Texas Association of Realtors) – The Texas Association of Realtors (TAR) has announced an initiative to help more homebuyers take advantage of housing assistance programs and make homeownership more affordable for Texans.

According to TAR, Texas ranks 44th out of 50 states in overall homeownership, partly because of a need for more affordable housing. That homeownership gap is widest in Texas among Hispanics, who account for 36 percent of the state's population but only 5 percent of homeowners.

"The good news for our state is that many programs do exist to make homeownership more affordable for Texans," said TAR Chairman Bill Jones. "The bad news is that few people know about them and even fewer know how to take advantage of them."

To address this issue, TAR has launched TxHomePrograms.org, an online searchable database of housing assistance programs in Texas.

In addition, Texas Realtors are partnering with local lenders, housing counselors and others throughout the state to host educational events for consumers. At these events, attendees will learn about workforce housing issues, consumer needs for workforce housing and Texas-specific programs available to make homeownership more affordable.