Kameron Kang recently joined Monica Neubauer on the National Association of REALTORS® Center for REALTOR® Development podcast to discuss a topic close to our mission at Homebuyerwallet.com: making homeownership accessible through Community Home Investment Programs, or CHIPs.
With years of experience spanning construction, real estate sales, community planning, and housing policy, Kameron shared insights from leading over 500 homebuyer seminars and helping countless first-time buyers navigate the complex landscape of down payment assistance programs. The conversation revealed why now, more than ever, real estate professionals need to step up as community advocates and educators.
Changing the Narrative on Affordability
The housing affordability narrative has shifted dramatically over the past decade. From 2015 to 2020, Kameron recalls a more balanced market where people were interested in homebuying but faced barriers, not because homes were unaffordable, but because buyers didn’t know how to navigate the process. Between 2020 and 2022, the media pushed the message that it was the perfect time to buy, leading to seminars packed with 20 to 50 excited attendees who still had no idea how to proceed.
Today, the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction. The prevailing narrative is that homes are completely unaffordable, creating widespread fear among potential buyers. But Kameron sees this as an opportunity for real estate professionals to stand up and push back against this defeatist message.
“That creates a lot of opportunity for REALTORS® to stand on soapboxes and yell out, ‘We have programs!'” Kameron explained during the podcast. The key is getting into communities, having real conversations, and holding educational seminars that show homeownership isn’t just a distant dream; it’s achievable with the right knowledge and tools.
The Power of CHIPs
At the heart of Kameron’s work is the belief that CHIPs represent investments by communities in homeownership, not handouts. These programs exist to help employed, responsible individuals who may have done everything right but lack the cash for a down payment.
The numbers are staggering: there are over 1,500 programs across the United States that qualify as CHIPs. Each state has its own set. For example, Maryland offers quite a few. These programs provide down payment assistance, closing cost assistance, tax incentives through mortgage credit certificates, interest rate buy-downs, shared equity programs, funding for new builds and ADUs, and service-based benefits for first responders, educators, veterans, public service workers, and medical professionals.
In Washington, D.C., where Kameron built his real estate career, programs like HPAP (Home Purchase Assistance Program) offer up to $202,000 for down payments plus $4,000 for closing costs, structured as a zero-interest, 45-year loan. This kind of financing structure fundamentally changes the affordability equation, making homeownership accessible to demographics that would otherwise be locked out of the market.
The Seminar Strategy: 500 Sessions and Counting
Kameron’s approach to connecting buyers with these programs centers on educational seminars, lots of them. Over two years, he conducted approximately 500 homebuyer seminars, sometimes three in a single day. Whether presenting to one person or fifty, each session represented an opportunity to share information and inspire people in a no-pressure environment.
The key to success was refinement. Early seminars ran two hours and attempted to cover every detail of the homebuying process, but attendees couldn’t retain the information. Kameron eventually streamlined the content to 30-40 minutes, focusing on giving people a view of “what the whole mountain looks like” without overwhelming them with every obstacle along the way.
The seminar structure provided just two action steps: schedule a lender strategy call to determine financial standing, then transition to an agent strategy call to see what properties fit within that budget. This tight framework gave attendees concrete next steps without requiring scary early commitments.
The results spoke for themselves. Consistency built word-of-mouth momentum, with friends telling friends they had to attend. Months after attending seminars, people would reach out asking if Kameron would work with them, not because they felt pressured, but because they genuinely valued the education and wanted his guidance.
Creating Homebuyerwallet.com: Making Information Accessible
The inspiration for Homebuyerwallet.com came from a frustrating realization: even someone as immersed in these programs as Kameron could miss opportunities. When a client mentioned a $15,000 program from George Mason Mortgage that Kameron hadn’t heard of, it highlighted a systemic problem; these programs are notoriously bad at marketing themselves.
Government websites can be difficult to navigate, and information about available programs remains scattered and hard to find. Homebuyerwallet.com was created to solve this problem by providing a user-friendly national database where potential buyers can search by location for down payment assistance, closing cost assistance, and other homebuying programs.
The website embodies Kameron’s philosophy that these are community investments, not handouts. A Millennial who did everything right, secured employment, and wants to buy a home shouldn’t feel ashamed about using available community resources. Neither should the agent helping them access these programs.
The REALTOR® as Community Advocate
Perhaps the most powerful message from Kameron’s podcast appearance was about redefining the value proposition for real estate professionals. In an era where buyers can find houses online and attend open houses independently, agents need to articulate their unique worth.
Kameron painted a compelling picture: imagine sitting across from buyers questioning your commission, and being able to say, “Have you been to a recent community meeting? I have. And I advocated for this $20,000 of funding that you’re going to use to buy your house.”
This is the “boots on the ground, REALTOR® now” approach, actively shaping programs that fit community needs, attending legislative meetings, joining housing opportunity committees, and advocating for increased funding. Real estate professionals who do this work can command their commission, knowing they’ve genuinely invested in making homeownership accessible.
Communities that are willing to invest half a billion dollars in a sports stadium should be equally willing to invest in community members buying homes. Stable, owner-occupied housing creates engaged communities, and the return on investment is substantial when residents have a vested interest and love where they live.
Practical Steps for Getting Started
For agents ready to embrace this approach, Kameron offers straightforward action steps. First, start hosting weekly seminars and treat them like open houses—consistency matters. When people know that every Wednesday night offers an educational opportunity, word spreads organically.
Second, identify “the honey that brings in the bees”, a flagship program that excites people. A generic “first-time homebuyer seminar” falls flat, but “$20,000 local grants for housing” generates genuine excitement and draws crowds.
Kameron emphasizes that real estate professionals don’t need to become experts in every program detail. The homebuying process remains fundamentally the same; CHIPs just add a few additional elements with extended timelines. The key is taking ownership as the REALTOR®, maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders, and working with loan officers who are genuinely engaged with these programs.
Building a Movement
The podcast conversation revealed that something bigger is happening across the country. REALTORS® are turning out to legislative meetings in force, representing the cream of the crop willing to advocate for their communities. This movement has the potential to transform not just individual transactions, but entire housing markets.
At Homebuyerwallet.com, we’re committed to supporting this movement by making information accessible, helping agents identify opportunities, and empowering communities to invest in homeownership. Because when we help people achieve the stability and pride of owning their homes, everyone benefits: the buyers, the communities, and the professionals who made it possible.
To learn more about available programs in your area, visit Homebuyerwallet.com and start exploring the possibilities. The tools are there. The funding exists. Now it’s time to connect buyers with the opportunities that can change their lives.
