Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Gregg announce new closing cost assistance program for Iowa home buyers
(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg announced #OwnItIowa, a new closing cost assistance program for Iowa home buyers, Monday at the administration’s weekly press conference.
The campaign is hosted by the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Association of REALTORS® and encourages all Iowans 18 years and older to visit IowaHouseHunt.com through August 31, 2017, for a chance to win $2,500 cash and learn about homeownership resources. A new, limited-time program offering $1,500 in closing cost assistance with conventional loans was also rolled out as part of the campaign.
“It’s no secret that our homeownership market is booming,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Iowa was recently named the number one state in the country for home buyers by bankrate.com due to our housing affordability and job market for young professionals. I commend the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Association of REALTORS® for offering new and innovative programs to increase awareness of resources in our state and this effort will help even more Iowans purchase homes this home buying season.”
“Homeownership is good for Iowa,” Lt. Governor Gregg said. “With the sixth highest homeownership rate in the nation, Iowans benefit from the ripple effects of homeownership, including increased economic activity in our communities. We can increase the amount of Iowa homeowners even more by connecting potential home buyers with programs and experts available to assist them, which is just what the #OwnItIowa campaign aims to do.”
The Iowa Finance Authority offers a variety of programs for eligible home buyers including $2,500 down payment assistance, $1,500 in closing cost assistance on conventional loans through the new, limited-time program and $5,000 down payment assistance for eligible service members and veterans.
“The Iowa Finance Authority is pleased to unveil the #OwnItIowa campaign as a fun way for Iowans to win $2,500 this summer,” Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison said. “I encourage all Iowans to participate in this chance to win through August 31.”
“All indicators are pointing up for Iowa’s housing market,” Iowa Association of REALTORS® CEO Gavin Blair added. “The number of days a home is on the market is at a near record low and competition for homes is strong. This translates to the need for home buyers to be armed with information, which is exactly why we’re teamed-up to offer the #OwnItIowa promotion.”
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Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Gregg attend “Fast-Track Iowa’s Future” conference
(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg attended the “Fast-Track Iowa’s Future” conference in Des Moines Wednesday. More than 500 Iowans convened in the Iowa Events Center with the goal of building localized school-business partnerships that inspire and prepare students for STEM careers across the state.
The conference connected students with leaders in business and industry, higher education, K-12, non-profit and state and local government. Eleven panels and 18 showcase presentations highlighted readily replicable best practices around work-based learning opportunities and methods.
“Future Ready Iowa is about meeting our state’s need for talent in high-demand business sectors that drive Iowa’s economy, like advanced manufacturing, healthcare, agricultural science, information technology, finance and other fields.” Gov. Reynolds, co-chair of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, said. “That is what this conference was about. Connecting education systems with the recipients they serve – employers—so that graduates are job-ready for the exciting, meaningful strong wage occupations that await right here in local communities across the state.”
Contributing to the Future Ready Iowa vision, the Governor’s STEM Council led planning alongside instrumental partners including the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Workforce Development, Iowa Economic Development Authority, Alliant Energy, Rockwell Collins, the U.S. Department of Labor, Northeast Iowa Community College and more. Funded in part through a grant from the National Governors Association, the event was also supported by Alliant Energy, AT&T, Cognizant, Elevate Iowa, ITC Midwest, Iowa Biotech Association, Iowa Workforce Development and Rockwell Collins.
“Strong partnerships and collaboration across agencies and organizations, as seen in both the planning and showcasing of this Fast-Track Iowa’s Future conference is crucial to achieving our state’s goal of 70 percent of Iowa’s workforce with some type of post-secondary education or training by 2025,” Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg said. “Leveraging our plentiful existent assets in both education and workforce to grow and expand exemplary models is sensible and efficient, and definitively Iowan.”
For more information about the event, visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/Fast-Track-Iowas-Future.
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