Housing briefs

Brainerd Homes received the Distinguished Dealer award for 2004, reported Schult Homes.

The award is presented to Schult retailers that achieve high levels of sales volume and customer satisfaction within a year.

Pillager business named Builder of the Year

Dave Puetz of Advanced Building Systems in Pillager was named 2004 Builder of the Year by Enercept Building Systems in Watertown, S.D.

Advanced Building Systems has been in the Brainerd area for seven years, specializing in the construction of super energy efficient structural insulated panels. The award reflects the sales performance during the past year.

Walthers earns certificate

BAXTER -- Bridget Walthers of Edina Realty in Baxter earned certification with Edina Realty Relocation, a partner with the nationwide RELO-Network.

The RELO-Network works with nearly 3,500 offices and serves more than 10,000 communities across the country.

Walthers also attended the Edina Realty Expo at the St. Paul River Center in January, which kicked off Edina Realty's 50th anniversary.

Home Stretch classes set in Little Falls

LITTLE FALLS -- Home Stretch, a first-time homebuyer education workshop, will be offered Feb. 7, 14 and 28 in Little Falls.

The three-night workshop educates first-time homebuyers about the process of buying a home.

The Central Minnesota Housing Partnership, a nonprofit organization providing affordable housing services to central Minnesota, coordinates the Home Stretch workshop.

Topics covered include mortgage approval process, budget and credit issues, real estate, closing procedures, basic home maintenance and affordable mortgage products that may be available.

For more information contact the CMHP at (320) 259-0393.

Rural Development offers housing loans

BAXTER -- The Baxter Rural Development office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has loan funds available for low-income applicants to finance the purchase or construction of a home, or for home repairs for residents of Crow Wing, Aitkin and Cass counties.

Those who meet income guidelines, have good credit history, job stability, show repayment ability for the loan amount, and are unable to obtain sufficient credit from other sources qualify for this program.

No down payment is required and part of or the entire loan closing costs may be written into the loan.

Inquiries can be directed to the Baxter Rural Development Office, 829-5965, extension 4. Written inquiries should be sent to Rural Development, 7118 Clearwater Road, Baxter, MN 56425.