Dear Editor:

In recent months, many of your readers who have wanted to purchase a home have had a rude awakening when it came to approval for a home loan. Faced with having to come up with a significant down payment, many home buyers gave up.

I want to encourage your readers not to give up on purchasing a home! I work for an agency of the federal government that offers direct home loans for very-low and low-income households. USDA Rural Development works only in rural areas (and most of Louisiana is rural!), and we help people who have good credit purchase homes.

I want to assure everyone that USDA Rural Development home loans are just that — they are loans, and the home buyers are responsible for paying the loans back. The terms are great — and there is no down payment.

So don’t give up hope on owning your own home. There is an agency of the federal government that will work with you to help you buy that home.

-Wanda M. Holmes

USDA Single Family Housing Specialist