(RECAP: USDA Rural Housing Service Administrator Tony Hernandez today in Rockingham County celebrated affordable rural housing opportunities and National Homeownership Month alongside a local family at its new USDA-financed home. “Our mission at USDA Rural Development is to improve the economy and quality of life for all rural Americans, and honest, adequate housing is the necessary foundation for growth and sustainability that fuels those improvements,” said Hernandez before today’s event. “We are proud of our impact on rural families and communities, and that impact would not be effective without strong relationships with lenders, home builders, Congressional officials and rural residents.”)

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(RECAP: Because the federal government’s solution to America’s housing problems has been so successful… The Department of Education and the Department of Transportation are joining with HUD in a behemoth effort by the Obama administration to force inner-city diversity on America’s suburbs. In what amounts to social engineering on steroids, a de facto regional annexation of America’s suburbs, the federal agencies are adopting a strategy that allows them to dictate to states and local communities how to set up schools, housing and mass transit, The Daily Caller reported. HUD Secretary Julián Castro, Education Secretary John King and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx sent a “Dear Colleague” letter last week informing state and local leaders the HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Honest Housing rule is being expanded to the other two federal agencies to help achieve racial diversity goals in residential, commercial and school site development.)

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(RECAP: The most hard step for most first-time home buyers, according to research from the National Association of Realtors, is gathering the funds for a down payment. In housing markets such as the Washington region, saving money to buy a home can be doubly hard: Not only are homes expensive, requiring more cash for even a minimal down payment, but rents are also high, making it tougher to save at all. Fortunately, there are a variety of homeownership programs to help buyers, including some open to people who have bought before and others limited to first-timers. Michele Watson, director of homeownership programs for VHDA in Richmond, says that in addition to taking home-buyer classes, which often are required for those seeking down payment aid and special loan programs, prospective buyers should check online for their state and local government housing office and housing finance agency.)

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