New HOMES Program Partnership for City, County, and School District Employees
SCHENECTADY – On Thursday, Mayor Gary McCarthy joined Schenectady County Legislators Richard Patierne and Richard Ruzzo, representatives from the Schenectady City School District, and Christine Serafini from Miranda Real Estate Group to announce new homebuyer resources for public employees in Schenectady.
The new program, Schenectady Saves, will be offered to all City of Schenectady, Schenectady County, and Schenectady City School District employees who are buying a home. The new homebuyer would receive 20% of the commission as a rebate.
The announcement builds upon Mayor McCarthy’s award-winning HOMES Program – Homeownership Made Easy in Schenectady – a partnership between the City of Schenectady, local banks, realtors, and housing-related entities to help promote and facilitate homeownership in Schenectady.
“Homeownership creates pathways for families to achieve the American Dream, which is why we first launched the HOMES Program in Schenectady to expand economic opportunity for residents in our community,” Mayor McCarthy said. “With the current costs of housing, we need to do everything we can to increase access to homeownership opportunities for hardworking families in Schenectady.”
“We are proud to announce Schenectady Saves, a real estate rewards program for Schenectady public employees,” said Christine Serafini of Miranda Real Estate Group. “Homeownership helps everyone in our communities and so we are honored to be able to give back to dedicated local employees throughout Schenectady.”
“For many of our residents, the dream of homeownership is something that is just out of reach.” said County Legislator Richard Patierne. “We are excited to partner with the City of Schenectady on the Schenectady Saves Program and to help bridge that gap and make the dream of owning a home a reality.”
“There is nothing like the feeling of purchasing your first home,” said County Legislator and Chairman of the Capital Region Land Bank Richard Ruzzo. “You take pride in having your own home and you take pride in your neighborhood. We need to foster this and make home ownership accessible to everyone who wants to invest in strengthening our community and our neighborhoods. The Schenectady Saves program will help people take that next step to invest in our community and we will all benefit. We couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”
"Any effort that provides our faculty and staff opportunity and access to home ownership is a win-win for our district and the community," said Lynne Rutnik, deputy superintendent. "Miranda Real Estate's promise to give 20% of their commission back to the new homeowner aligns with our vision to help rebuild, renew, and keep investing in our vision of Schenectady Rising."
"We are grateful and pleased to learn about these exciting resources that will be available to our school district staff, families and community," said Dr. Carlos Cotto, assistant superintendent of innovation, equity and engagement. "It is our pleasure to work with our parent liaisons and school leaders to ensure that Schenectady staff and families are aware of this partnership and these opportunities. As our district continues to develop into a community school model, this partnership is another example of how the community comes together to offer resources and opportunities that benefit our school community."
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