Housing

SEAGO is an approved HUD Housing Counseling Agency and has adopted the National Industry Standards for Housing Counseling and Education.

SEAGO’s Housing Counseling Program provides an opportunity for low and moderate income households to receive assistance regarding their housing needs. The program provides counseling to renters, homeowners and potential homeowners through the following counseling services:

Our Housing Program offers counseling to people in areas of: Homeownership Education, Post-Purchase Education; Rental Questions, Delinquency/Default Assistance, Foreclosure Prevention, Reverse Mortgages, Financial Education and Predatory Lending.

Foreclosure is not a foregone conclusion

Foreclosure is not a foregone conclusion! If you are struggling to pay your mortgage or falling behind on payments, our counselors may be able to help you by working with your lender. There are a variety of options that might be available to you. Contact us as soon as you know that paying your mortgage payment is going to be an issue. The quicker you contact us, the more options are available to you!

Pre-purchase counseling provides information on the homeownership process. Learn information on mortgage financing options and the availability of subsidy programs, hear how to accumulate funds for a down payment and closing costs, and individuals are taught how to budget and manage money.

Post purchase counseling Issues discussed during this component of the Counseling program addresses the homeowners ongoing relationship with their financial institution, property maintenance and money management.

Mortgage delinquency counseling

Individuals or families requiring counseling under this sector will be counseled on how to restructure their debt and how to budget and manage their money. The main focus under this counseling program is to determine how and why the client became delinquent on their mortgage and to develop strategies to bring the client out of delinquency.

The final goal of the program is to provide information to the client on how to prevent delinquencies from occurring in the future.

Rental assistance counseling This service provides counseling to renters before, after, and during their rental of a housing unit. Rental counseling includes information on unit selection, fair housing laws, how to apply for subsidy programs, budgeting, money management, housing care and maintenance, and the rights and responsibilities of tenants.

Financial fitness counseling This service is typically provided in association with any of the counseling programs mentioned above, but may be offered to a broad range of the population on an as needed basis.

Financial Fitness Counseling focuses on reviewing income and expenses to determine how a family spends money. Learn how to develop a budget; the importance of savings; banking and investing; the value of insurance; and information on taxes.