Buy Springfield Now celebrates 100th home purchase

Date: 4/12/2010

April 12, 2010

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD -- Erin Weber stood before 27 Denver St. in the city's Pine Point neighborhood and checked off the reasons why she bought a home in Springfield: it's close to her job as teacher at Putnam Vocational and Technical High School; she had a large inventory -- 50 homes -- from which to choose; the price was right; and she received "invaluable information" through the Buy Springfield Now program.

Weber was the 100th homebuyer to participate in the program and Rosemary Morin, vice president of Hampden Bank, said there are about 120 homeowners who have successfully used the program.

Mayor Domenic Sarno, Hampden Bank President Tom Burton and Don Thompson of the Realtor Association of the Pioneer Valley attended the press event.

The initiative between the city, local lending institutions, area realtors, non-profit groups and retailers will mark its first anniversary in May, Morin said, and will be noted with an event in June. The program works with first-time homebuyers and provides assistance in education about the home-buying process and financing.

Morin said after one year, the program is "just gearing up" and will continue.

Weber said her mortgage specialist at Hampden Bank was an "amazing resource." Weber noted she was able to use her $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit to cover part of the down payment. Hampden Bank provided a credit toward her closing costs.

Weber has been working in Springfield for four years and originally is from Boston. She became acquainted with the city as a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and said one of its strengths is that it is small enough to "have everything you need close by."

She chose her circa 1923 bungalow because she was looking for a home with a large backyard and was a "fixer-upper" on which she could work.

She said of the housing stock in the city, "There are so many houses I can afford on a teacher's salary."

To learn more about the program, go to www.buyspringfieldnow.org.