One of the first major milestones of adulthood is often purchasing a first home.

But in an increasingly expensive housing market, finding an affordable home and understanding the buying process can feel overwhelming.  

As housing prices continue to rise, and a lack of homeowner education is shared with newer generations, officials at the state level have realized that it has become harder for individuals hoping to purchase their first home. Mixed with all the ins and outs, it can be difficult knowing where you should buy a house, when, or how to go about it.  

Statewide resources have become readily available to any individual seeking to purchase their new home in Idaho, and government assistance platforms like Finally Home! aim to help educate individuals through the home-buying process. From debunking myths to offering homebuyer education courses, the platform sets eager home buyers down the right path when making a major financial decision.  

“We provide homebuyers with the knowledge, the tools, and the ongoing education to make informed decisions, avoid potential pitfalls, and build stronger and more stable communities,” Finally Home! Director Heather Bowman said. 

Idaho Housing and Finance Association created the program in 1997 to combat affordable housing issues, Bowman said. What started as an in-person comprehensive standardized education curriculum for Idahoans to attend and become educated on the home-buying process has evolved into a modern, user-friendly way for individuals to understand financial basics, along with education of the entire home-buying process, in addition to one-on-one counseling services.  

Finally Home! was created in collaboration with industry professionals to provide comprehensive education courses and covers all aspects of the home buying process. The program aims to help individuals who are entering the homebuying phase for the first time and may not know where to start. In addition to the course, Finally Home! also offers a financial basics program that’s free to anyone and provides the basics of budgeting, banking, and credit, among other necessary topics to understand before diving into any type of major financial decision.  

“The course curriculum really is comprehensive, so it covers everything from readiness to purchase a home, to the paperwork that goes into purchasing, to understanding the different roles of the industry professionals that will help along the way, how to find a lender, how to find a realtor, what their roles cover, appraisal, insurance, fair housing, predatory lending,” Bowman said. “We also spend a lot of time talking about budgeting and credit to make sure that people really have a solid foundation.” 

The homebuyer education course costs $70, but Bowman said that it can be offered at a discount for low-income families. She recommends individuals take the free financial basics course first to gain confidence in fundamental financial literacy.  

Bowman said the course can be taken in-person or online, where the in-person course is a one-day, six-hour course and can be taken at a local partner agency. For those residing in North Idaho, classes are offered at the Bonner Community Housing Agency in Sandpoint. Online courses can also be taken at any time and typically take about four hours to complete.  

Completion of the homebuyer education course may also help individuals qualify for down payment assistance, a lower interest rate, reduced mortgage insurance rates and potentially a lower monthly mortgage. Bowman said a course certificate is often required by down payment and closing cost assistance programs to receive applicable funds, where completion of the homebuyer education course would satisfy that requirement.  

“Completing the course really gives people a step up in the home buying process, because it really gives them a broad understanding and overview, so they're prepared when they go out and start shopping for a home,” Bowman said.  

Outside of the course, Finally Home! offers a 24/7 HUD-approved online counselor for advice, before and after you purchase your home.  

Bowman said the program still aims to achieve its mission set in 1997, giving first-time homebuyers the confidence they need to not only purchase a home, but also to understand the financial responsibility associated with it.