FIRST COMMUNITY MORTGAGE AND GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE HOMEOWNERSHIP

First Community Mortgage (FCM) and Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee have initiated a partnership to help potential homebuyers in Middle Tennessee better understand and engage the home buying process, according to an announcement made jointly by Matthew Bourlakas, President of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee and Keith Canter, CEO of FCM.

“These two organizations have a common goal of helping improve the lives of people living in Middle Tennessee communities. I’m confident that joining forces to educate and prepare families for the home buying process will be beneficial for our region,” said Bourlakas.

“This partnership with Goodwill is very significant. Working with their executive leadership to make this happen has been a joy,” said Andy Voyles, Executive VP and Director of Lending for First Community Mortgage. “Homeownership is accessible to many people who may be hesitant due to the perceived complication of the process. FCM’s Multi-Cultural Lending Initiative Team (MCLI) is fully engaged in this partnership. Their specific purpose is to provide outreach and education for underserved and bilingual markets that may not realize they can purchase a home.”

FCM launched its Multi-Cultural Lending Initiative (MCLI) in 2016 to expand its lending reach to underserved areas in Middle Tennessee. The MCLI team is focused on community outreach while leading homebuyer educational sessions for predominately minority based and bilingual markets. Local churches and metro school facilities have extended use of their locations, which has greatly helped the MCLI team’s initiatives. Many of these prospective applicants may be able to buy a home, but need a better understanding of what to do, and how to do it.

The partnership will include the following initiatives to help the local communities in Middle Tennessee:

• Goodwill Industries and FCM will organize, promote, and hold free homebuyer preparation classes at Career Solution Centers in Middle Tennessee, directed toward the 2,000+ employees and customers of all Goodwill Middle Tennessee retail locations.
• Personalized orientation on the home buying process will be provided to all Goodwill employees interested in learning about pre-eligibility for a home loan.
• FCM will provide Goodwill Industries a dedicated team of professional Loan Originators to answer any questions the employees have about home buying, refinancing, and the application process.
• All classes and counseling provided through this initiative will be provided in both Spanish and English.

Miguel Vega, VP of Multicultural Lending at First Community Mortgage, has been a major part of establishing and growing this partnership. “Bringing together two great companies for the purpose of helping others is powerful. It is something I am personally excited about. It shows how dedicated FCM and Goodwill Industries are to helping people understand the process of buying a home, which can be very confusing, especially for first-time homebuyers.”

“This partnership is an excellent expression of First Community Mortgage’s recently introduced ‘Human Mortgage’ branding,” Canter said, “Goodwill is a one-of-a-kind company with a great foundation that is always willing to help those in need. Because of our intense desire to truly help people with our human approach, partnering with Goodwill is something we are thrilled – and honored – to be able to do.”