Plymouth and Washington Federal both work to support a robust local housing continuum. Homeownership is one part of that continuum.

But for those considering buying their first home, especially in a market like Seattle, the process can seem daunting. Buyer readiness is critical to the ability of homeownership to serve as a positive asset for households and neighborhoods.

So it seemed like a natural fit for Plymouth’s young professionals group (PoP, short for Promoters of Plymouth) to work with Washington Federal, a longtime supporter of Plymouth’s, to coordinate a buyer readiness class targeting first-time buyers like themselves.

The session was held at Local 360 in Belltown and attracted a room full of young professionals from Plymouth and from several of Seattle’s businesses and nonprofit organizations.

 

 

Mark Hatate, Washington Federal’s vice president of mortgage production, and Chris Hooper, Washington Federal’s downtown Seattle branch manager, led the class.

Several Washington Federal staff were among the participants, including Chris Landerdahl, Lauren Nevitt, Tai Nguyen, Natasha Oshiro, Scott Talley, Amanda Xayasane, and Olivia Doyle (who is also a member of Plymouth’s PoP committee).

Participant Loren Tierney of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County noted, “Mark Hatate was incredibly engaging, and walked the group step-by-step through the process of buying a new home. Even as a homeowner myself, this session was very helpful in shedding light on different down payment scenarios and best practices.”

 

Grace Oppenheimer of Fred Hutch seconded the enthusiasm. “We had a great time!  Mark and Chris were able to make the confusing (and stressful!) process of buying a home so much more accessible and approachable in a relaxed, fun environment.  I learned a ton.”

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