Mayor Tyer Announces Home Improvement Initiative

The Mayor, in partnership with four local lenders and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, has designed the following program to encourage the improvement of existing housing in the city, incentivize home ownership, and foster investment in specific neighborhoods in the city. Homeowners citywide can access a combination of funding from local lenders and City funds to:

1. purchase and improve a residential property; or
2. refinance and improve a residential property.

Properties must be owner occupied and may be single family homes or owner occupied multi-family structure with up to four (4) housing units.

When acquiring a new home or refinancing an existing home, homeowners can access At Home in Pittsfield funds to make improvement to the exterior of the home; in some instances, the local lender may also offer the homeowner the opportunity to borrow additional funds for home improvements when they are acquiring or refinancing their home.   The amount of funding available for home improvements – either from the City or from a combination of the city and local lender - will take into consideration the anticipated appraised value of the property after renovations are completed. The local lender will administer approved City funds in conjunction with their loan.

In addition to having the option of obtaining funding through a local lender, homeowners in the Morningside and Westside Neighborhood can alternatively choice to access At Home in Pittsfield funds for home improvements at their existing residences, without going through a participating local lender.  Under this scenario, approved funding will be administered by the City’s Department of Community Development.

Participating local lenders are: Greylock Federal Credit Union, Lee Bank, Pittsfield Co-operative Bank, and Berkshire Bank.

Exterior home improvements eligible for city funding include the following:

• roof replacement;
• window and door replacement;
• porch repairs or replacement; chimney repairs;
• siding installation; and
• foundation repairs.

The following improvements are not eligible for city funding:

• landscaping;
• installation of exterior drainage;
• repair of garages or other separate sheds, structures, or outbuildings; and
• interior improvements, such as installation of carpeting, wall paneling, and updating baths and kitchens.

For more information about this program, please contact Justine Dodds, Program Manager, 413-499-9368.

REHABILITATION FUNDING AVAILABLE

• Homeowners city-wide may receive home improvement funding from the City of up to 10% of the appraised ”As-Completed Value” of the property, or a maximum of $20,000.
• Homeowners in the Westside or Morningside neighborhoods or the Tyler Street TDI district may receive rehabilitation funding from the City of up to 20% of the appraised “As-Completed Value” of the property, or a maximum of $30,000.

PROGRAM GUIDELINES:

• To qualify, borrowers may earn no more than 135% of area median income (AMI), or $87,480 in 2019.
• Applicants must meet all program requirements of the lender and the City.
• Applicants must take a CHAPA or NeighborWorks certified Homeowner Certification class, or a program determined by the City to provide an equivalent level and scope of training and, when applicable, (i.e. for multi-family properties) a Landlord Certification class.
• City funding will be in the form of a deferred payment loan (DPL) at an Interest Rate of 0%, secured by a mortgage. This loan has no monthly repayment requirement. The DPL is due in full when the owner no longer resides in the structure or conveys all interest in the property to another party. The City is also exploring options that would allow for the forgiveness of a portion or all of it’s funding over time.

City records will be checked to confirm the homeowner is in good standing with the City of Pittsfield and they are not delinquent with any City fees or taxes, such as real estate taxes.