No home sweet home

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005 | 7:42 a.m.

School teacher Amber Bielak is still learning about Las Vegas -- and the lesson isn't pleasant. Despite the collective efforts of the School District, mortgage lenders and real estate companies, many teachers can't afford homes.

Bielak had declared herself ecstatic two months ago as she became the first teacher to enroll in the Clark County School District's Coming Home Project, intended to help teachers buy homes. Today, after attending workshops, searching real estate ads and filling out numerous forms, the harsh market realities remain.

"I'm approved for a purchase price of $170,000, but there aren't many things to look at in that range," said Bielak, a Michigan native and first-year teacher at Sedway Middle School. "I don't even understand why prices are so high to begin with -- the houses are not that nice, you don't even get a big yard."

Bielak's frustration is understandable, said Sue Phillips, who is coordinating the district's Coming Home Project, a collaboration of real estate companies, mortgage lenders and nonprofit agencies.

"The home-buying process is challenging under the best of circumstances," Phillips said. "With the housing market we have right now, it's going to take patience and creativity."

So far nearly 200 teachers have gone through the workshops. Their salaries average between $35,000 and $38,000, and most have been with the district for less than five years.

Participants are not required to use the services of the mortgage lenders, credit counselors or real estate companies that have signed on to the coalition.

"The goal was to simplify the process and help teachers get an idea of where they stand," Phillips said. "The district has no financial stake in this."

Last year, when the district conducted focus groups with former licensed personnel to find out why they had resigned, one of the top reasons cited was the cost of living, said George Ann Rice, associate superintendent of human resources.

Some teachers said they were cashing in on the housing boom by selling their houses and moving back to their home states. Others said they were leaving because they could not afford to buy homes of their own.

"We realized we were getting hit from both sides," Rice said. "You can't stop those who want to go back to Texas and pay cash for a nice house. You can focus on those who want to be here and make Clark County their home."

The district put out a request for proposals from community partners interested in joining the project. Rice said the requirement for the real estate companies was that they have a "national presence" so that new employees could get help in selling their homes in other states.

The companies also had to agree to designate one employee as a coordinator and hold monthly workshops for teachers.

After the proposals were received, a community panel, overseen by representatives from Fannie Mae, chose the community partners.

The real estate companies involved are Prudential Americana, Coldwell Banker Premier Realty and Century 21. Clark County School Board member Susan Brager-Wellman, a Realtor affiliated with Prudential Americana, had no role in the selection of the companies, Rice said.

Brager-Wellman told the Sun that she made a point of keeping her distance from the project to avoid even the impression of impropriety.

With Clark County no longer able to crow about its deep pool of affordable housing, the district has lost a powerful recruiting tool, Brager-Wellman said.

"It was a wonderful thing to be able to say to a teacher, 'You can buy a home here,' " Brager-Wellman said. "I don't think those opportunities are completely gone, but we no longer have plenty of affordable family homes. There are some in the $250,000 to $300,000 range, but that may still be more than a lot of our newer employees can afford."

Damon Cochran, an agent with Coldwell Banker Premier Realty, has been helping Kim and Tom Cahill, a married couple who are both teachers. The couple -- Kim is in her sixth year with the district and Tom began work in August -- was expected to close on their home by this weekend.

Because they had already gone through the Coming Home workshop before meeting with Cochran, the Cahills' finances were in order, including pre-approval for a mortgage. That allowed Cochran to jump ahead several steps to actually looking at potential properties.

"They knew what they could afford and they knew where they wanted to be," Cochran said.

With their combined incomes, the couple was likely in a better position to buy than younger teachers at the low end of the district's pay scale -- such as Bielak, who as a first-year teacher earns about $30,000 annually.

Cochran said he is encouraging his teacher clients who are looking in Bielak's price range to consider condo conversions as well as single-family homes.

"What we're trying to do with this program is explain to people that this may not be the house you want to live in the rest of your life, it's a starter home," Cochran said. "You have to take the first step to get to the next step."

For Bielak, the next step is continuing to stay with relatives in Las Vegas while she saves up for a down payment. If the district wants to keep its younger teachers, a salary hike -- not assistance navigating the homebuying process -- would be of more help, Bielak said.

"I can hardly afford an apartment on my own. I'd have to have a roommate or a one-bedroom to cram into," Bielak said. "The district is trying to help, but I don't know if it's going to be enough."

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun.com.