SA Affordable Housing January - February 2019 // Issue: 74 | Page 17

ADVERTORIAL FNB is committed to making housing a reality FNB is committed to making housing a reality to as many people as possible. To this end we work with various stakeholders in the housing industry to help customers through the homeownership process. By First National Bank O ne such stakeholder is government, through its Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme(FLISP), a once housing grant, aimed at first-time home buyers who fall within the gap housing market. The National Department of Human Settlement has recently expanded to include people who earn between R3 501 and R22 000 (previous ceiling was R15000) a month. The subsidy amounts have also been increased from between R20 000 and R87 000 to between R27 000 and R121 000. We believe that this will go a long way in addressing many of the challenges in the affordable housing market. We have also started looking helping customers that are beneficiaries of Breaking New Ground (grant houses from government) housing units. There about 1.8 million Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing units registered with the deeds office and a significant number of them are starting fall out of the pre-emptive period (eight years no sale policy). The government has been working to resolve some of the title deed issues associated with these housing units. We believe that we can start assisting BNG beneficiaries unlock the value of their homes and grow their wealth. Access to housing is a matter of national importance and calls for stakeholders to radically rethink the delivery of housing through deeper collaboration among sectors and communities. Our Employer Backed partnerships in the form of Employer Schemes have created an environment where we have expanded our reach and put more roofs over the heads of our customers and their families. By offering self- sustaining mechanisms within the affordable market we have been able to create operating models that have allowed us to expand our product offering without changing our risk appetite. This has further allowed us to create an enabling environment to solve for multiple forms of quality and sustainable access to homes. We are constantly looking for ways to make the process of home finance simpler and more accessible and that is why we launched the nav» Home platform. This is platform can be accessed by our customers on the FNB Banking App and allows them to be empowered with information prior to applying for a home loan as follows: • Pre-approval to determine the home loan amount the bank will give the customer • Search for properties in their preferred area • FREE instant value estimates which uses comparable sales information so customers can make an offer with confidence • Apply at their convenience and track their application every step of the home loan journey When customers use this platform to apply for a home loan, they receive the following benefits: • Guaranteed 50% back in eBucks on their first home loan repayment • 50% discount on attorney registration fees • Personalised interest rates For terms and conditions of this offer, visit: www.fnb.co.za. We are constantly looking for ways to make the process of home finance simpler and more accessible. www.saaffordablehousing.co.za JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 15