Homebuying Support Program Expands to UH Employees

The University of Hawai‘i announced a new down payment assistance program with Landed on Sept. 10, 2019. The program aims to help UH faculty and staff buy homes in Hawaiʻi.

Two informational sessions for faculty and staff to learn more about the program will be held on the Big Island on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019:

• Noon–1 PM:  Hawaiʻi Community College
• 4:30–5:30 PM: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Interested educators can RSVP for the sessions online.

The down payment assistance and homebuyer education partnership with Landed, which previously introduced the program to the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, provides half of the down payment on a home up to $120,000 per family, in exchange for a portion of the change in the value when the home is sold. Landed’s down payment support will be available to all UH employees who have worked for any part of the University of Hawai‘i system for at least two years.

“As the cost of housing in Hawai‘i continues to rise, too many of our faculty and staff are finding it harder to afford homes,” said UH President David Lassner. “We believe Landed will be a valuable option to help some of our employees to live in the communities that they serve.”

Landed’s work in Hawai‘i launched in May for K-12 educators as part of the Hawai‘i Executive Conference adopting the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s CHANGE Framework, a commitment to collaborate to help address some of Hawai‘i’s most pressing issues. So far, three Hawaiʻi educators have already purchased homes with Landed’s down payment support, and more than 600 interested K-12 educators in Hawai‘i have attended Landed informational events or reached out online.

Since its founding in 2015, Landed has already helped more than 200 educators purchase homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Denver, and Seattle. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which helped connect Landed with community partners in Hawai‘i, is an investor in Landed’s housing funds.

“We are thrilled to expand Landed’s homebuying resources to higher education in Hawai‘i and look forward to connecting directly with faculty, staff, and their families,” said Landed Co-Founder, Alex Lofton. “As the son of a school teacher and a social worker in the Seattle area, I know firsthand the struggles that many families go through to build financial security in expensive communities. Landed hopes to be a support system to help all educators and staff feel more secure in their financial future.

Interested homebuyers can use this program in conjunction with a mortgage from any of Landed’s partner lenders: First Hawaiian Bank, Bank of Hawaiʻi, American Savings Bank, and Central Pacific Bank.

Interested employees can get more information and apply at landed.com.

Interested educators on other islands can RSVP for the info sessions online.

Monday, Oct. 7: Oʻahu

9–10 AM: Honolulu Community College

Noon–1 PM: Leeward Community College

4:30–5:30 PM: University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu

Tuesday, Oct. 8: Oʻahu

Noon–1 PM: Kapiʻolani Community College

4:30–5:30 PM: Windward Community College

4:30–5:30 PM: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Wednesday, Oct. 9: Maui

4:30–5:30 PM: University of Hawaiʻi Maui College

Friday, Oct. 11: Kauaʻi

4:30–5:30 PM: Kaua‘i Community College

Landed is a San Francisco-based company helping essential professionals build financial security near the communities they serve. Landed partners with schools, districts, universities, and community organizations to provide down payment support to educators.