Can’t make the payments on your contract for deed? Here’s where to look for help

This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for their free newsletter to receive stories in your inbox.

If you are struggling to pay off your home through a contract for deed, Sahan Journal and ProPublica would like to hear about your experience. Email the authors at jpeters@sahanjournal.com and jessica.lussenhop@propublica.org. 

If you bought your home through a contract for deed and can’t make the payments, help may be available through the following agencies and nonprofit organizations: 

• Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. In a prepared statement to Sahan Journal and ProPublica, Attorney General Keith Ellison urges homeowners struggling with their contract-for-deed payments to fill out and submit a Tenant Report Form online. Homeowners can also call the Attorney General’s Office at (651) 296-3353 if they live in the Twin Cities metro area or (800) 657-3787 if they live in Greater Minnesota.
• The Minnesota Commerce Department, which regulates business practices in Minnesota, also encourages homebuyers to report complaints with contracts for deed to its Consumer Services Center, which can be reached at (651) 539-1600 for Twin Cities metro residents, (800) 657-3602 for Greater Minnesota residents, and by email at consumer.protection@state.mn.us.
• Home Help MN is a Minnesota state government program that provides up to $50,000 in assistance to low-income homeowners having trouble with their monthly payments. Apply online or call Home Help MN at 1(800) 388-3226.
• Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, which offers free legal advice and representation to underserved communities, “has lawyers lined up” ready to talk with homebuyers who have contracts for deed, said Legal Aid Litigation Director Luke Grundman. Call Legal Aid by phone at (612) 334-5970, email info@mylegalaid.org, or visit online LawHelpMN.org.

Immigrants seeking general education and help with the homebuying process can also access the following resources:

• African Development Center of Minnesota offers education courses for first-time homebuyers tailored to African immigrants and refugees. The courses are designed to give people tips on tasks like how to find financing for a home. The nonprofit is based in Minneapolis and has offices in St. Cloud and Willmar. Enrollment costs $40.
• Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) offers a Home Stretch workshop that guides first-time Latino homebuyers through what the purchase process will look like. People who finish the class will receive a certificate giving them access to down-payment assistance programs in the future. Courses cost $40 to attend and are offered in Spanish. Apply here.
• NeighborWorks Home Partners also offers Home Stretch workshops for first-time homebuyers. Courses at the St. Paul-based organization cost $40 and are offered in English. NeighborWorks also provides options in Hmong and Karen. Apply here. 

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in the Sahan Journal on Nov. 21. It was written by Joey Peters, a reporter with the Sahan Journal. He can be reached at jpeters@sahanjournal.com.