Housing Stability Counselor

Job Description

This role strives to build healthy communities and expand homeownership opportunities and retention for low- and moderate-income households. The Incumbent provides aspiring homebuyers with the skills, knowledge and information to buy and maintain a home. The Counselor brings people into the program through outreach and marketing events, educates them about credit and managing their finances, and works with their financial position to prepare an appropriate solution for their challenges. This role requires strong judgment and discretion in advising the client about a possible course of action consistent with the goals and objectives of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.

Job Responsibilities

• Hosts community outreach and marketing for homebuyer education workshops
• Conducts group intakes, home buying seminars, and budget and credit workshops, providing accurate and clear information to the audience
• Registers clients seeking to purchase a home or other related service and explains the basic elements of the home buying process and the loan programs available, as well as down payment assistance
• Assists clients with assembling the financial documentation required for households participating in the housing counseling program
• Recognizes that clients may have unique circumstances which may affect the documentation they possess and develops a plan to meet documentation requirements and pulls credit reports for clients
• Creates and maintains an up-to-date client file for each household with required documentation and forms in the proper order
• Enters all data into Home Counselor on line software in a timely manner, and monitors the liens progress
• Determines if a client needs additional or alternative documentation in order to process a loan or to assist in loan approval, and works with client to obtain appropriate documents
• Analyzes client’s credit history and provides them with a detailed understanding of their credit status, how it will affect their ability to obtain a mortgage, and develops alternative plans for the client based upon an analysis of the client’s credit and provides advice regarding borrowing options
• Determines whether the client should proceed further with the process or determines that the client does not
meet the criteria of the various lenders
• Calculates how much in monthly payments and the total loan amount a household can afford, based on their
income, debts, and savings
• Evaluates the total financial picture of households to determine current readiness to borrow, and develops an
individualized plan that sets forth the steps needed to become mortgage ready and advises the client as to possible courses of action that could result in later qualification
• Creates a financial plan for each client which explains what they need to do to be able to qualify for a loan, a workout plan, loan modification, or other appropriate outcome
• Becomes familiar with local financing programs and the mortgage programs offered by ULMS lending partners to determine which of the lenders are best suited to fit the client’s circumstances and make appropriate recommendations
• Evaluates all applicable factors to match a client to the appropriate lender by determining which of the
participating lenders meets the applicant’s needs and financial circumstances
• Works with lenders to solve problems once a client has applied for a loan or while an existing loan is being reviewed
• Informs clients of their rights under Fair Housing laws and watches for potential Fair Housing Act violations
• Reviews all agreements of sales and loan documents to ensure client’s interests are protected
• Checks for underlying problems, and develops a recommended course of action
• Informs supervisors of underwriting and processing problems with lenders and proposed solutions, any predatory lending, fraud activities, or Fair Housing Act violations in a timely manner
• Works with delinquent clients who are late on mortgage payments to help them determine the best methods to remedy delinquency
• Develops and implements marketing plans for bringing more clients into the ULMS program
• Promotes and participates in the ULMS outreach events, including Bank Fair, real estate agent events, and
homebuyer shows
• Attends real estate agent events, and homebuyer shows and regularly contacts real estate agents to encourage them to refer potential buyers to the ULMS program
• Submits timesheets, lender referrals forms, and any other required forms to the supervisor on a timely basis
• Attends all staff trainings and meetings
• Develops and implements fundraising activities designated to maintain or increase the existing office funding levels
• Adheres to all ULMS, HUD and NUL requirements
• Participates in housing mediations as needed
• Performs HUD referral assessments to determine individual client needs and educates clients regarding potential resources that may be available to them
• May perform related duties consistent with the scope and intent of the position

TO APPLY: Please send your resume & cover letter to Crystal Barquet, via cbarquet@urbanleague.org. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.