Missoula Housing Authority

While I was starting my day today I took note, as I always do, of the expired listings that popped up in the MLS system. One of them was a home owned by the Montana Housing Authority. Originally being from Idaho and practicing the art of real estate down there for the first 7 years of my career, I didn't really know how things worked here in Montana so I made a few calls and visited a few websites to find out more.

Some of the information I found out about housing authorities was a complete surprise to me. Housing Authorities are usually publicly owned corporations ran by boards of members elected by local government and residents in the areas they provide services. The mission of these housing authorities is to place low income to moderate income families into affordable housing that will fit their budget. When asked what a housing authority is, most people will immediately tell you of a housing complex located somewhere in the city and not offer any further information. While this is true, I think people don't fully understand how much more housing authorities have to offer.

Housing authorities do indeed offer public housing to low and moderate income producing families, but they also offer other types of subsidized housing and provide a great deal of information on section 8 housing and how to apply for it. One of the interesting things I learned by visiting some different housing authority websites was that they provide counseling for low to moderate income families. This counseling is usually funded through HUD and other government grants for the purpose of helping people understand the process. I was also educated on loan programs that were available for people to obtain affordable financing if they meet certain criteria. After printing off material showing me income limits and resources available for this financing, I was surprised to learn just how available these programs really are for people. I will be using this in my everyday travels as a real estate professional.

Here are some links where I found this information available. I would highly encourage people to visit these sites to learn more about these programs.

Montana Housing Division Home - Section 8 information and qualification guidelines.

Missoula Housing Authority - This site is still under construction but offers information on how to contact.

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