MIDLAND, Texas — A place to call home isn't just a dream for many of us, it's a necessity. The Midland Community Development Corporation (MCDC) is a nonprofit organization that works towards helping people who are in the market to find the right home.
According to the Texas Real Estate Research Center with Texas A&M University, the average Local Market Area price for a home in Midland last year was $377,785.
Sandra Torres is the executive director of the MCDC. The organization is a HUD approved housing counseling agency for people that are trying to buy a house. The MCDC works alongside the Midland Community Housing Development Organization, while serving as a developer building homes and a means to look for ways to make homes affordable for buyers.
"Housing is such a basic need in the hierarchy of needs," said Torres.
"If they are a candidate for one of our homes, then their next option would be to purchase one of our homes," Torres said. "They get a discount if they have a low to moderate income or if they work for the City of Midland, Midland Memorial Hospital or Midland Independent School District."
If a person is not considered to be a candidate, due to circumstances such as affordability or simply not wanting to purchase one of the developers' homes, the MCDC still helps them get approved for the loan and they can take the approval letter and talk to a real estate agent.
That's where Liliana Lopez, the housing director for the MCDC, steps in to guide people towards making buying a home obtainable.
"Giving people the right information and education always saves either time, money or both," Lopez said. "People can do everything by themselves sometimes. They don't need help or don't have to pay somebody to help them. But we're here to serve them if they need us. I always say 'This is not something that you need to do by yourself' or 'I'm not going to do it all for you because this requires teamwork.'"
In 2024, the organization is working on building its 170th home in the city of Midland. If a person is interested in buying a home outside of the program, it aims towards getting people 'mortgage ready.'
"It can be an overwhelming process since it's not something that you do every day or every year. Sometimes it's just once in your whole life that you get to buy a house," Lopez said. "So that's why it's important to get the help or get the right information."
This is the process to apply for help with the MCDC:
- Submit documentation online.
- The information you provide will help answer questions such as the status of your credit, anything that might prevent a person from buying a house and the current debt to income.