Resources for New and Prospective Home Buyers

Are you interested in this program but are not quite ready to buy a home and need a little help? The following FREE community resources are available to help you get on the path to owning a home! Please contact any of our partners below for help with:

Saving & Budgeting
Improving Your Credit score
Understanding the Home Buying Process

Home Buyer Education

Financial Pathways

A free home buyer education course that will introduce you to home buying. Available online or by phone.

Genworth's Online Course

A free course that will help you understand the homebuying process. Available online.

Stifel’s Buyers Guide to Homeownership

This easy to follow guide walks you through the pros and cons of buying a home, and what you need to do to prepare.

Affordable Housing Financing

Neighborhood Connection Home Loan

Commerce Bank has access to a variety of affordable housing financing options to fit your unique needs, including the Neighborhood Connection Home Loan.
Evette S. Baker - Mortgage Banker314.746.3550
Believable Banking Home Mortgage

A home loan designed to assist people on the pathway to affordable, successful home ownership, while helping revitalize neighborhoods. The unique mortgage structure helps empower people to overcome some of the challenges in mortgage qualification.

  • Pre- and post- purchase home ownership counseling
  • Not credit score driven
  • Mortgage insurance not required
  • Most down payment assistance programs allowed
  • Emergency reserve fund required
Crystal Morris - Believable Banking Home Mortgage314.512.8917midlandsb.com
acrew

acrew is a social impact venture that can help you save for a home and connect you with other down payment assistance options. Every acrew member gets access to:

  • Higher APY savings
  • Match rewards, similar to a retirement plan
  • AI-enabled Down Payment Assistance Finder

Becoming an acrew member is free and usually takes less than 10-minutes.
acrewsavings.com
Gateway Neighborhood Mortgage

The Gateway Neighborhood Mortgage provides loans to purchase and improve homes in neighborhoods with depressed home values.

Visit Justine Petersen for help, including any necessary credit repair, and a credit and financial health check.
Randen Click - Mortgage Banker314.226.5053www.justinepetersen.org

Operation HOPE

One-on-One credit counseling

Work with a counselor to identify issues, review your credit report, and then create a work plan to reach your financial goals. Also offers FREE Classes on the following subjects:

Budgeting
Learn about paying off debt and establishing savings.

Establishing and Rebuilding Your Credit Profile:
Learn about understanding your credit score and reading a credit report.

Reginald D. Garth - Financial Well Being Coach314.613.3196http://www.OperationHOPE.org

BJC Financial Wellness Education

BJC employees have access to Enrich, a free financial wellness experience that you can tailor to your financial needs.

Start your financial journey! Then complete a short financial assessment so that Enrich’s adaptive learning technology can help you start learning about your most applicable money topics. If you wish, you can then call or chat with a Certified Financial Counselor.

Start Your Financial Journey

Approved Lenders

Do you have a lender that is not on this list? Call us at 314-747-2336 or e-mail us at livenearyourwork@wustl.edu

Learn more about our Approved Lenders and Promotions/Incentives

Nathan White
8100 Forsyth Boulevard
Clayton, MO 63105
Go To Website
Kari Dorf
12300 Olive Blvd
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
Go To Website
Sue King
4901 Pernod Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139
Go To Website
Evette Baker
3134 S. Grand Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63118
Go To Website
Corey Griffin
6510 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63117
Go To Website
William Bruce
150 N. Meramec Ave
Clayton, MO 63105 
Go To Website
Jacob Spratt
11901 Olive Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63141
Go To Website
Dion Fields
St. Louis, MO
Go To Website
Rachel Rufkahr
14755 North Outer 40 Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Go To Website
Gershman Mortgage
16253 Swingley Ridge Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Go To Website
Jean Kavanaugh
22 S. Central Avenue
Clayton, MO 63105
Go To Website
Doug Haldeman
1120 Wolfrum Road
Weldon Spring, MO 63304
Go To Website
Melissa Keyser
9717 Landmark Pkwy Drive
St. Louis, MO 63127
Go To Website
Olga Basilio
212 S. Central Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63105
Go To Website
David Sharp
9925 Clayton Road
Ladue, MO 63124
Go To Website
Rebecca Walker
500 Chesterfield Center
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Go To Website
Angie Schulze
Go To Website
Kevin Singh
Go To Website
SLCCU Mortgage Team
Go To Website
Kent Hackstadt
12655 Olive Boulevard
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
Go To Website
Kimberly Poe
5418 Hampton Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63109
Go To Website
Mark Hayden
4142 Keaton Crossing Boulevard
O’Fallon, MO 63368
Go To Website

Lender Discounts & Incentives for Buyers

This financing program from Flat Branch Home Loans offers a 100% FHA loan with no income limits, a minimum 600 credit score, and no geographic restrictions on where a home can be purchased.
The Jayson Tatum Foundation, in partnership with the SoFi Generational Wealth Fund, will provide grants to qualifying low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers to assist with some of the down payment costs for those qualifying applicants purchasing a home in St. Louis City, St. Louis County or St. Charles County, as well as a grant up to a maximum of $1,000 (of which up to $750 covers the home warranty if not provided by seller or a third party) for an annual home warranty with roof leak repair coverage, and approved and associated service call fees, for the twelve months immediately following the home purchase for the first-time homebuyers who are eligible.
St. Louis Community Credit Union has partnered with Starlight to offer members the Pathways Resource Connector—a free, secure online tool designed to help you identify and apply for state/government assistance programs and other local resources. Receive personalized, step-by-step support, including program application guidance and reminders.
The Buyer’s Guide to Homeownership from Stifel is an informational resource designed to walk prospective buyers through the homebuying process. It outlines key steps such as preparing finances, getting pre-approved, shopping for a home, securing a mortgage, and closing on a property.
acrew is a social impact venture that can help you save for a home and connect you with other down payment assistance options. Every acrew member gets access to:
  • Higher APY savings
  • Match rewards, similar to a retirement plan
  • AI-enabled Down Payment Assistance Finder
Becoming an acrew member is free and usually takes less than 10-minutes.
This program from Midwest BankCentre is a limited-time offer that helps make homeownership more affordable by providing an interest rate about 1.5% below current market rates on eligible mortgages. It’s primarily geared toward income-qualified buyers purchasing a primary residence and applies to 30-year fixed conventional loans, helping reduce monthly payments and overall borrowing costs. To qualify, borrowers generally must meet income limits, use the home as their primary residence, and satisfy standard credit and underwriting requirements. The program is still open as of March 2026.
This program from Guild Mortgage is designed to help first-time and underserved homebuyers afford a home by reducing upfront costs. It provides a lender credit of up to $5,000 that can be used toward closing costs, making it easier to purchase a home in eligible areas. The program can be combined with common loan types (like conventional, FHA, and VA loans) and allows low down payments (as little as 0–3%). The eligible census tracts are very similar to the LNYW program boundaries.
Midland States Bank offers reduced closing costs (about $1,295 in savings) to people who serve their communities, such as healthcare workers, teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military members. Eligible applicants can apply through a loan officer using the promo code “HERO” and must provide proof of their profession or service. The program applies to a wide range of loan types, including conventional fixed and adjustable-rate mortgages, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo loans, and down payment assistance programs.