​​​​Homebuyer education, sometimes called housing or pre-purchase counseling, helps homebuyers prepare for purchasing a home and the many new challenges of being a homeowner. The Department of Housing and Community Development recommends that all prospective homebuyers participate in homebuyer education as early as possible in the process of purchasing a home, and requires homebuyer counseling for the Maryland Mortgage Program​.

You may find links to some homebuyer education options below. If you are in the process of securing financing for your home, your lender, insurer, or servicer may have specific homebuyer education requirements, so it is important to ask your originator for any such requirements. If you are receiving funds from another source, you must meet any requirements established by that funding source. Please note that some homebuyer education courses have a cost for registration.

• ​ HUD-Approved Counseling Agencies​
• ​​National Industry Standards (NIS) Counseling Agencies​
  
• Online classes​
  • Arch MI (HUD & Freddie Mac approved) ​(Source Code: Arch MI)
  • HomeView (FNMA approved, available in Spanish)
  • Housing Options & Planning E​nterprises, Inc. (HOPE) (HUD-approved, available in Spanish)
  • Essent​ (HUD-approved, available in Spanish)​
  • Framework​ (HUD-approved, available in Spanish)​

See also: Notice to Financial Institutions Offering First-Time Homebuyer Savings Accounts​