Keith Bice has been in the mortgage business for more than 20 years. He is a graduate of the Mortgage Bankers Association Future Leaders Program and has served two terms on the St. Clair Realtors Association Board. Bice has helped clients take advantage of AHFA's Step Up program for more than 10 years.

 

A:    Initially through MBAA, and then through the mortgage company I worked for at the time.

 

A:    Low down payment makes it affordable for first-time homebuyers or folks that are selling their homes with little or no equity that are looking to purchase their next home. Also the program is eligible for the entire state of Alabama. Other programs like USDA are for certain geographic locations only. 

 

A:    Guidelines are straightforward. When you have a question, AHFA underwriters go out of their way to help you. Also, as stated above, the entire state is eligible and not restricted to certain areas like some of the other down payment assistance programs or USDA loans.

 

A:    Each time we close a mortgage loan, we are changing lives and growing communities.

I have a team of five people. The process in years past would be that I would make the initial contact with clients and after they were squared away on their loan program, interest rate and closing costs, I would hand them off to my team to be taken care of. It got to a point to where all I was involved in was the numbers, dealing with loan issues and as a result, not going to closings. I lost the passion that came with seeing clients being able to meet their goals and getting excited. It didn't take me long to realize it was the people and being involved in our community that make our job rewarding. 

Give your top managers the recognition they deserve by nominating them for AHFA's annual Manager of the Year award.

Site and property managers for any development financed with AHFA-administered HOME funds or Housing Credits are eligible.

Nominations are due April 29. 

The 2016 winner will be announced May 26 at the Alabama Affordable Housing Association's annual conference. 

Click here for a nomination package: http://bit.ly/1VoC4RG

The Alabama Affordable Housing Association (AAHA) is accepting applications for its annual resident scholarship. Applicants must be accepted or enrolled in an accredited vocational or technical school, college, or university; have at least a "B" average or 3.0 GPA; and meet all other application criteria.

The scholarship is open to qualified tenants and resident family members living at an AAHA-member apartment complex and to property/divisional management staff of AAHA-member companies and their children.

Applications must be received by March 4 at noon. Please contact AAHA Executive Director Arrice Faught (arrice@alcarh.org or 205.331.8668) for full details.