FirstBank Shows How First-Time Homebuyers Are Overcoming Unique Challenges

Bank Launches Empowering Homeownership Campaign to Highlight How it Makes Owning a Home Possible

Buying a home is one of the most significant and emotional investments a person can make. In addition to creating a financial foundation, a home becomes the platform where a lifetime of memories are made. Sadly, it is increasingly becoming more difficult to find a “dream home,” whatever that may look like. Soaring prices, limited inventory and the recent economic downturn are just some of the challenges facing buyers.

Many people have personal, and even financial, obstacles that can make buying a house or qualifying for a mortgage challenging. That is why FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on ‘banking for good’, is launching its Empowering Homeownership program. It showcases real FirstBank customers, each facing unique challenges, on their path to buying a home.

By visiting efirstbank.com/empowering (efirstbank. com/empoderar in Spanish), you can view the stories of five individuals, to see what hurdles they’ve faced and how they were supported throughout the homebuying journey thanks to FirstBank’s personal approach to lending. It also includes helpful resources on everything from how to successfully navigate major obstacles like the down payment process to homebuying in today’s market.

Spread across Colorado, Phoenix, Ariz., and Palm Desert, Calif., these customer stories range from an individual trying to get out of a bad lease-to-own situation, a Vietnamese immigrant who lost his job at the beginning of the pandemic as he was looking to buy, and a customer who, despite having no credit at the onset, was able to secure a mortgage, opening the door to an investment property and a commercial building to help grow his business.

Thankfully, all these stories have happy endings, and the reason is FirstBank’s lending philosophy: to do right by its customers and meet them where they want to be met. As a result, their loan officers are not paid on commission and instead focus on finding the best solution. They also operate as their own underwriters for each loan and are a dedicated contact available—day or night—to help customers through the entire home-buying process. This allows mortgage decisions to be made quickly by real people — not an automated system — who

What’s more, FirstBank partners with several affordable housing programs and nonprofits to help make homeownership possible for first-time buyers, and it ensures all homebuyers are educated on the different options available to them. Because of this approach, FirstBank has a very low number of past-due or foreclosed mortgage loans compared to competitors.

In addition to Empowering Homeownership, FirstBank has created a list of resources that cover all you need to know before, during, and after your purchase. Visit FirstBank’s Smart Cents Blog for all the latest tips and tricks. Or for more information on FirstBank’s mortgage offerings and process, visit https://www.efirstbank.com/products/credit-loan/ mortgages.htm.