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Massachusetts offers a new (limited-time) perk for first-time homebuyers
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The Bruins kept their season alive last night, thanks to this overtime goal from David Pastrnak (not to mention a few game-saving stops from goalie Jake Swayman). Now down 3-2 in the series against the Buffalo Sabres, they'll need to win two more times to advance. Game 6 is back at TD Garden this Friday.
But first, the news:
Very interested in no interest: Starting this week, even more Massachusetts residents are eligible for a program that offers up to $25,000 in what's now interest-free repayment plans for certain first-time homebuyers. Gov. Maura Healey announced the expanded program yesterday, saying she hopes it keeps more families in Massachusetts. "Today, we’re bringing this assistance to a wider cross-section of the middle class who are being priced out of homeownership right now," Healey said. The program is expected to help about 1,000 first-time homebuyers.
- What's new? MassHousing had already been offering up to $25,000 in down payment and homebuyer assistance loans to first-time homebuyers. But they were 15-year second mortgages with interest rates ranging from 2-3%, depending on your household income. The new program offers 0% interest with deferred repayment terms to cover upfront expenses like a down payment, prepaid mortgage insurance and other closing costs.
- Why it matters: The change is expected to save homebuyers up to $31,000 over the life of the loan, the state's housing secretary, Juana Matias, told WBUR's Fausto Menard. "That is the difference between waiting and buying, between being priced out and being able to compete, between being on the sidelines and finally becoming a homeowner," Matias said.
- Who's eligible? You have to be a first-time homebuyer who locks in a MassHousing mortgage between this past Monday (April 27) and July 31, 2026. There's also a cap on how much you earn — 135% of the area's median income. That really ranges depending on where you live across the state: $205,335 in eastern Massachusetts, $165,645 in Worcester County, $137,565 in the Berkshires and $129,870 in Hampden County, according to Healey's office.
On the docket: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a case involving President Trump's efforts to eliminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians. The case has implications for an estimated 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians (and potentially other TPS holders) living legally in the country, who would immediately be subject to potential deportation if the Supreme Court sides with the Trump administration. That includes about 20,000 or so Haitian TPS holders in Massachusetts.
- Go deeper: NPR's Nina Totenberg has more here on how TPS works and the legal arguments over Trump's attempt to end it for certain countries.
On the picket line: More than 80 faculty members at Lesley University in Cambridge remain on strike today. It's the second and final day of a planned walkout due to a union contract dispute, primarily over pay increases. "The administration came to us two years ago with 0% increases during a time of historic inflation," Julie Shoemaker, an associate professor at Lesley, told WBUR's Stevee Chapman. "They've come up to 2%, I believe, which is still very, very far from the cost of living increases that faculty have experienced." Shoemaker also says faculty members think they need more paid time to design their coursework.
- Lesley officials say classes taught by striking faculty members are currently being covered by members of the school's academic leadership team.
On his own terms: Barney Frank is entering hospice care. Politico reports the 86-year-old former Massachusetts congressman, who was the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay, has been battling congestive heart failure and recently decided to go into hospice at his home in Ogunquit, Maine. "At some point, my heart’s just going to give out, and it’s reaching that stage," Frank told Politico. "So, I’m taking it easy at home and dealing with it by relaxing.”
P.S.— If you're thinking about Mother's Day gifts, WBUR Festival tickets pair nicely with flowers supporting your mom's favorite public media organization. And the spring blooms are 10% off if you order your flowers today.
