Kansas City-based Heartland Multiple Listing Service (MLS) has announced a strategic integration with Down Payment Resource (DPR) to enhance accessibility to homeownership for residents across the Greater Kansas City area.

DPR, known in the housing industry for its database and homebuyer assistance program solutions, will provide support to Heartland MLS’s network of 12,000 agents.

The integration enables agents to receive notifications regarding the potential eligibility of homebuyers for various down payment assistance (DPA) programs, streamlining the process of accessing financial resources.

An analysis conducted by DPR revealed that 87% of listings on Heartland MLS are eligible for one or more homebuyer assistance programs. Moreover, within the Heartland MLS footprint, 27 agencies administer 39 distinct homebuyer assistance programs. These programs offer assistance ranging from $3,000 to $37,000, catering to homebuyers with annual incomes of up to $143,000, seeking homes priced at a maximum of $766,550. Certain targeted areas are eligible for even higher income and price limits. 

On average, homes within the Heartland MLS service region are eligible for approximately $15,000 in assistance.

“Kansas City is seeing a 4% increase in home prices over this time last year, and salaries are just not keeping pace. It’s imperative for real estate agents to inform homebuyers about DPA opportunities so more people can qualify for a mortgage and begin building generational wealth through homeownership,” Rob Chrane, founder and CEO of DPR, said in a statement.

This collaboration follows the initiative by the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS, the owner of Heartland MLS, to provide agent members with access to a widget facilitating consumer searches for homebuyer assistance eligibility.

Heartland MLS was founded in 1993.