The National Affordable Housing Network is a HUD-certified housing credit counseling center, certified to provide credit counseling services at no-cost (free to you) to anyone living in our five county service area of Silver Bow, Jefferson, Madison, Beaverhead and Powell counties in Montana.
Housing credit counseling is a free service open to anyone in our service area, regardless of income. When you meet with a credit counselor, you gain valuable information about what your credit score means and how the items on your credit report influence your score. The information contained on your credit report is crucial to lenders when making decisions about large purchases like homes, cars, and even cell phones. The more you know about what your credit looks like, the better prepared you will be when it comes time to buy a home. The better (higher) your score is, the lower your mortgage interest rate should be and the better the chance that can get a loan in the first place. A good credit score can save you thousands of dollars (or more!) on a home loan.
NAHN’s credit counselors help you understand your credit report and score – what it means, how it affects you, and what you can do to improve it. Because we are a housing counseling center, we focus on how your credit impacts your ability to buy a home. Where you are in the home buying process doesn’t matter. Our services are geared toward those who dream of owning a home years from now, who would like to buy a home in the near future, who are currently going through or are about to begin the home buying process, and those that are already homeowners.
NAHN has two credit counselors on staff, specializing in pre- and post-purchase, first time homebuyers, pre-foreclosure, and non-delinquency post purchase counseling. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30am to 5pm, and sessions are by appointment only, so please call ahead. When you meet with a credit counselor it is always one-on-one (or with significant others/family members if you choose) and confidential. At the first session you’ll discuss your goals, review your credit, and create an action plan based on your unique situation and goals. Follow up sessions occur every month or so, depending on your needs. How often and how long you choose to continue the service is determined by your individual situation and personal goals. Some folks will see a credit counselor just a few times, while others may see one regularly for a longer period of time. NAHN’s counselors will continue to work with you as long as you want to continue working with them.
If you dream of owning a home, and know you have debts and negative items on your credit, don’t wait. Repairing your credit takes time. The sooner you begin to understand it and check it regularly and make small steps to improve it, the sooner you can be confident that it will help you rather than hurt you when you make life’s important purchases.
Please note that we are not a credit repair service. We won’t fix your credit for you. We will arm you with the step by step knowledge and confidence to improve it yourself.
To schedule an appointment to see a credit counselor, call NAHN’s office at 406-782-8579 and ask to speak with Meghan or Haley, or fill out this form and we’ll contact you.