First
Home, Inc. Corporate Profile
> Introduction
> Corporate
Philosophy & General Strategy
> Specific
Components
> Corporate
Accomplishments
> Community
Involvement and Programs
> Managers and Directors
Introduction
First
Home, Inc. (FHI) was incorporated in August of 1995.
The primary objective of the corporation is to service the
rewarding and multi-faceted first time homebuyers (FTHB)
market.
FHI has
incorporated distinctive and successful market and operational
strategies to capture and service FTHBs. The primary elements
of our strategy include developing and administrating FTHB
programs for cities, developers, corporations, and associations.
In addition FHI maintains a high level of involvement
with organizations and in housing issues within the community
it services.
First Home,
Inc. provides first time homebuyers with essential financing
services and programs:
- Extensive
home buyer education.
- Comprehensive
short and long term home purchase counseling.
- Community
homebuyer subsidy program placement assistance.
- First
time home buyer loan programs.
- Providing
a coordinated approach and effort in working with and through
all elements of the real estate transaction.
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Corporate
Philosophy and General Strategy
FHI's
corporate philosophy is to assist "all" households
who desire to become homeowners. Great attention is focused
towards median and low income households. FHI carries
out its corporate philosophy by establishing unique programs
and services directed towards the first time homebuyer (FTHB)
market. The uniqueness and high quality of the programs enables FHI to
position itself as a leader within its market niche. Direct
areas of program concentration and development include:
- Working
with and for municipalities to develop programs to promote
homeownership within the community - This market sector
has proven to be one of FHI's corner stones in
the development of the company. FHI's services
are in great need and demand by municipalities to assist
in expanding homeownership opportunities to renters
- Establishing
joint collaborations to promote extensive FTHB educational
and counseling programs -FHI has found that
education and counseling are the key components is assuring
the advancement of homeownership opportunities in the
community. In order to maximize on educational and counseling
activities FHI has organized and implemented joint ventures
with the private and public sectors. These joint ventures
concentrate on combining and coordinating resources from
all involved parties to maximize results.
- Corporations -
the high cost of living associated with housing costs has
become one of the largest problems for human resource division
in corporations. FHI has instated programs that enable
corporations to work in conjunction with city/municipal
programs to assist their employees in all aspects of the
home purchase process.
- Developers -
many municipalities now require that developers provide
a percentage of the units in all of their new developments
to be directed towards low to moderate income households.
By servicing developers with their below market rate units, FHI will
also be able to service additional transactions with the
developers market rate units. FHI is also now starting
to expand its involvement with non-profit developers to
specifically assist low to moderate income households in
purchasing their homes.
- Administration
speciality underwriting programs - FHI is involved
in the administration of a number of very advantageous
and distinctive first time homebuyer programs. These programs
are essential in promoting affordability for homeownership.
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Specific
Components
FHI had
concentrated on the following elements in establishing itself
as a leader within the FTHB market:
- Program
design and administration - FHI's success
has been fostered through the unique capacity of the
company to structure effective and desirable programs
for its market participants. These programs combine
both public and private resources to maximize benefits
for all parties involved while providing the greatest
degree of safety from default and hardship for first
time home owners. Essential elements incorporated in
the program design and administration include:
- Extensive
homebuyer education programs
- Unique
and very successful FTHB individual counseling program
- The
design, execution, and administration of public private
funding ventures directed to assist median and low
income households.
- Bringing
together the collaboration of public and private industry
related companies and organization to pool resources
to further homeownership opportunities.
- Mortgage
brokering/lending - FHI has taken great
measures to carefully select a group of lenders that
it associates with. All selected lenders provide a specialized
product to help service the FTHB market niche. Through
its lender associations, FHI has been able to
obtain geographic exclusivity for a diverse range of
programs, providing a strong market edge over other
mortgage brokers.
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Corporate
Accomplishments
FHI now
maintains an active database of approximately 2000 households
that it interacts with. Our diverse business development hubs
have enabled us to establish a highly effective and sanctioned
outreach program to approximately 75,000 households. The outreach
program focuses on working closely with both the public and
private sector
Public/Municipal
Sector Contracts and Program Development
FHI's
direct involvement with cities and communities has proven
to be highly beneficial for all parties involved. Over the
past twenty four months, FHI has educated in excess
of 1,000 households, provided one-on-one counseling to over
400 households, and has placed over 250 households into homes.
Program
Specific Contracts and Working Alliances
Community
Housing Investment Partnership (CHIP)
FHI is
one of the key influential participants and partners in the
formation of CHIP - an alliance of eighteen cities within
the San Mateo County region. CHIP's participants include the
directors of planing and economic development divisions and
city council members. The primary objective of the alliance
is to create homebuyer opportunities through the county through
a coordinated assortment of standardized first time homebuyer
programs. The current focus is in structuring a down payment
assistance program that would be applied towards all of the
cities within the region. This program is being designed to
incorporate funding through municipal and corporate contributions. FHI anticipates
capturing either a master administrative contract or the majority
of the individual administrative city contracts in executing
the proposed first time homebuyer program(s).
City
of Redwood City (RWC)
FHI had
designed and is currently executing and administering a First
Time Homebuyer Program which was initially directed towards
RWC city employees (including police officers and firefighters)
and RWC School District teachers. The program has recently
opened up to all live and or work residents. Eligible households
participating in the program can obtain up to a$100,000 down
payment assistance subsidy. The program also incorporates
a comprehensive first time homebuyer educational and counseling
curriculum.
San
Mateo County Employee Homebuyer Education and Counseling Program
FHI provides
all San Mateo County employees access to a comprehensive homebuyer
education and counseling program. This program has been specifically
structured to assist employees in becoming homeowners. The
program which consists of educational seminars, workshops,
and one-on-one counseling is offered through the County's
employee benefits division. Participants in the program are
also introduced to all of the public subsidy programs offered
throughout the region. The County has expanded the program
to assist all interested staff members for all the non-profit
enterprises that contract with the County. In addition FHI is
currently reviewing the viability of structuring a down payment
assistance program in conjunction with the County Employees
retirement system. The County employee contract has an outreach
to approximately 7,500 households.
Millbrae
Redevelopment Agency Program
FHI administers
the Millbrae program. This program is directed specifically
towards San Mateo Union High School, San Mateo Community College,
and Millbrae Elementary School District employees. The program
offers a comprehensive educational and counseling program
with an $80,000 subsidy for qualified households. This contract
has an outreach to approximately 2,500 employees.
City
and County of San Mateo (First Time Homebuyer Education and
Counseling) FHI has
recently been contracted to oversee and administer the First
Time Homebuyer education and counseling program for both the
City and County of San Mateo (two separate entities and contracts). FHI provides
both public seminars and one-on-one counseling with these
contracts. Our outreach efforts with this program encompass
all of the major corporations within the San Mateo region
and many professional associations, such as the California
Teachers Association. Outreach efforts in servicing these
contracts are usually directed towards 50,000 to 100,000 households
per an event.
San
Mateo City CASA Program
FHI is
the administrator of this program which offers a $60,000 down
payment subsidy for qualified and eligible households. Participants
are provided with extensive homebuyer education prior to getting
involved with the program. This program is under review to
increase subsidies to $100,000 per a household.
Joint
Effort Programs
FHI works
closely in conjunction with a multitude of programs with San
Mateo County including the Mortgage Credit Certificate Program
(MCC - FHI is the largest originator of MCC in the
San Mateo County region), Belmont's FTHB program, Forster
City's FTHB program, East Palo Alto's FTHB program, San Carlos
FTHB program, San Mateo County/s Start program, and Menlo
Park's FTHB program. In addition, FHI is active in
a multitude of Below Market Rate Unit transactions. FHI has
also recently started to expand its program involvement with
Santa Clara's Mortgage Credit Certificate program.
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Community Involvement and Programs
San
Mateo Housing Leadership Council (SMHLC)
FHI is
a member of the Board of Directors - SMHLC is a non-profit
organization whose primary objective is to increase housing
opportunities within the San Mateo County region. Extensive
concentration is directed towards the promotion and development
of inclusionary units throughout the region.
San
Mateo Countywide Home Investment Program (CHIP)
FHI is
a founding member and advisor - CHIP is an alliance of
eighteen cities within the San Mateo region. Members include
directors of planning and housing for each city, city
council members, corporate affiliates, and real estate
professionals.
Bay
Area Housing Finance Agency FHI is
working with Chilton Associates (Investment Bankers) in
the development and administration of the Bay Area Housing
Finance Agency. This agency is currently under development
to underwrite up to $200,000,000 in lease purchase transactions
within Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa
Clara counties. The lease purchase program will be directed
towards low to moderate income households.
Member
East Bay, San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo County Board
of Realtors.
Licensed and in good standing with the California Department of Real Estate.
First
Home Inc's direct municipal program administration:
- Redwood
City First Time Homebuyer Program
- San Mateo
City CASA First Time Homebuyer Program
- San Mateo
County First Time Homebuyer Seminars
- San Mateo
City First Time Homebuyer Seminars
- Millbrae
Redevelopment Agency First Time Homebuyer Program
- East
Palo Alto First Time Homebuyer Program
- Daly
City First Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Program.
- Brisbane
First Time Homebuyer Program
Affiliated
Municipality Programs FHI participates in:
- City
of San Mateo Below Market Rate Homebuyer Units
- San Mateo
County Start First Time Homebuyer Program
- Belmont
First Time Homebuyer Program
- San Carlos
First Time Homebuyer Program
- Foster
City First Time Homebuyer Program
- Menlo
Park First Time Homebuyer Program
Cooperate
and Organizational Programs FHI administers:
- Lick
Wilmerding High School - down payment homebuyer assistance,
education and counseling program - 100 employees.
- DPR Construction
- Homebuyer education and counseling program - 1500 employees
- Stanford
Medical Clinics - Homebuyer education and counseling program
- 7000 employees
- San Mateo
County Employees - Homebuyer education and counseling program
- 5000 employees
- San Mateo
Community College District - Homebuyer education and counseling
program - 1200 employees
- San Mateo
Union High School District - Homebuyer education and counseling
program - 1000 employee
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FHI
Managers and Directors
FHI maintains
a highly specialized group of senior managers and directors.
All senior managers have played a significant role and are
essential in the continued growth of the company.
Walter
Zhovreboff, President
Mr. Zhovreboff
has over twenty five years of experience in the real estate
industry. His primary concentration and focus has always been
directed towards real estate finance. As one of the pioneers
in the low to moderate income first time homebuyer market,
Mr. Zhovreboff had constructed one of the first private /
public housing purchase and rehabilitation models for low
to moderate income households in the state of California.
In addition Mr. Zhovreboff has structured the first and most
comprehensive and effective alliance (California Dream Alliance)
which joins the public and private sectors to promote first
time homebuyer opportunities to low to moderate income first
time homebuyers.
Mr Zhovreboff
holds a Bachelors Degree in Finance with Minors in Real Estate
and Economics from Golden Gate University. He has also completed
extensive graduate course work in real estate finance and
taxation. Mr. Zhovreboff is licensed as a real estate broker
with the California Department of Real Estate.
Sergei
Andruha, Vice President
Mr. Andruha
has spent the past four years with FHI in structuring
and implementing real estate lending processing procedures
specifically targeted towards effectively servicing the special
situations and needs of first time homebuyers. Systems established
by Mr. Andruha have placed a great degree of concentration
towards optimizing quality control formats and increasing
processing efficiencies to reduce risk and maximize production.
Mr. Andruha maintains a bachelors degree in finance from the
University of San Francisco.
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