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All San Francisco ownership opportunity programs through the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) require completion of 10 hours of homebuyer education by ALL members of the household age 18 and older. The 10 hours must be completed in three steps:

1. Attend a free 2 hour MOHCD Homebuyer Program Orientation.

2. Complete 6 hours of First Time Homebuyer workshop(s).

3. • Real-time online or in-person workshops:
     1. These workshops are facilitated by HUD-certified housing counselors in San Francisco.
     2. Available in one 6-hour session, or two 3-hour parts. If you take a Part 1 workshop, you must complete the Part 2 workshop with the same agency.
     3. BALANCE and the SF LGBT Center offer real-time workshops for free.
   • Self-paced online workshops:
     1. These self-paced, online modules, are administered by San Francisco housing counseling organizations, but are offered through Frameworks and E-Home America.
     2. All self-paced workshops require a service fee.

3. Complete 2 hours of Individual Counseling at the same agency (listed below) where you completed the homebuyer workshop(s). Individual counseling appointments are scheduled on a first come, first served basis and can be arranged to take place via phone or other online services.

• ASIAN INC.: asianinc.org | 415-928-5910 | 1167 Mission St.
• BALANCE: balancepro.org |1-800-777-7526 |1390 Market St. Suite 200
• SF LGBT Center: sfcenter.org | 415-865-5542 |1800 Market St.
• MEDA:  medasf.org | 415-282-3334 |2301 Mission St. #301
• SFHDC: sfhdc.org |415-822-1022 |4439 3^rdSt.

Upon completion all 10 hours of education, you will receive a Verification of Homebuyer Education. Once you have also obtained a mortgage pre-approval from a city approved lender, you will be eligible to apply for:

• DAHLIA and First Come, First Served listings.
• Loan assistance programs
• City Second Loan programs

Application assistance can be obtained by contacting your housing counselor.

Homebuyer Education Renewal

• Your Verification of Education form is valid for 1 year. You can request a one time renewal by completing another individual counseling appointment for a one year renewal.

• If you attended your First Time Homebuyer Workshop over 2 years ago, you should complete the 10 hour homebuyer education process again to ensure you have up-to-date information about city homebuyer programs and policies.

Have you entered into a purchase contract?

Upon entering a purchase contract, use the Request for Certificate of Homebuyer Education form to request the Certificate of Homebuyer Education from your housing counselor.