In 2019, the University of Hawaiʻi partnered with Landed, a new down payment assistance program aimed at helping UH faculty and staff buy homes in Hawaiʻi. Since launching in Hawaiʻi, Landed has helped 29 employees in education, including 16 UH faculty and staff members, successfully purchase a home with their shared equity down payment program, and connected hundreds more with free home buying resources.
Erin Centeio’s Landed story
UH Mānoa Assistant Professor Erin Centeio and her husband moved to Oʻahu after living on the mainland for several years. They moved in with her husband’s parents because of the high cost of housing in Hawaiʻi. Centeio knew it was going to take a while to save enough money to put 20 percent down on a home and get the monthly payments to a spot where they were comfortable.
“We heard about Landed’s program but it sounded too good to be true,” said Centeio. “Some of our friends and family said we shouldn’t use the program because there had to be a catch. Our ultimate goal was to not only just own any home, but one we could stay in for years to come and call our own, so we decided to trust the process. We’re so glad we did!”
Centeio closed on their home on February 1, shortly before the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. “It has been such a blessing to have our own space as a family during quarantine along with access to safe sidewalks and open areas that we could safely use for physical activity during the lockdown,” said Centeio.
No stranger to home buying, this is the fourth home—and the first in Hawaiʻi—that Centeio has owned. “Throughout the process everyone was looking out for our best interest. We appreciate Landed’s program because it truly is a partnership—they share in both the gain and the loss in the home. There was no catch,” said Centeio.
“Partnering with Landed helped us achieve our goal of home ownership much sooner than we had originally hoped!” said Centeio.
More about the Landed program
Landed’s down payment program provides employees in education with up to $120,000 towards the down payment on a home. This program is open to all employees—teachers, staff, and administrators—who have worked in public education for at least two years and can contribute as little as a 5 percent down payment. Employees do not need to be a first-time homebuyer to participate.
Landed is hosting two additional online information sessions for all employees interested in learning more about its down payment program and other home buying resources.
Interested participants are asked to RSVP.
Wednesday, August 19
