CU Promise

08/06/2026

Most first-time buyers know about programs that lower the interest rate or reduce the down payment. Even fewer know about the one that gives you $10,000 toward closing the gap.

MaineHousing’s First Generation Home Buyer Program offers $10,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible buyers in Maine. To qualify, you must not have lived in a home owned by a parent or guardian while growing up, or you must have been in the foster care system.

That’s the threshold. No extra income formula beyond the standard First Home Loan qualification. No repayment required if you stay in the home.

For first-generation buyers (people building the kind of stability their family hasn’t had), this program addresses one of the most common barriers to homeownership. The down payment gap.

A conversation with a CUSO loan officer can tell you whether you qualify and what it looks like for your specific situation.

08/03/2026

Maine home inventory is at its highest point of the year. Competition is quieter than it was in May. And sellers with school-age children have a hard deadline.

That combination doesn't happen in March. Or April. Or even June. It happens in August.

The buyers who walked away from spring bidding wars, or who are just now getting serious about their search, are entering the market at the right time. There are more options than there were three months ago. Sellers who haven't moved by now are motivated. The urgency isn't all on the buyer's side anymore.

Maine saw inventory jump 26% from April to May 2026, with nearly 5,000 homes on the market statewide. That's more room to find the right home at the right price than most spring buyers ever had.

August doesn't feel like the right time to buy. That's what makes it a good one.

If you've been putting off the search, it's worth a conversation.

07/31/2026

Today, credit unions across the country are celebrating the same thing: people banding together to make each other's lives a little easier. That's the whole reason CUSO exists. We're proud to be owned by a network of Maine credit unions who believed local homebuyers deserved a lender that actually knew the neighborhood.

Happy Day to every credit union in our network and every member they serve. What's your credit union getting up to today? We'd love to see it.

07/29/2026

Every buyer, loan officer, and realtor in America at 1:58 PM today.
Happy Fed Day. 🏦

07/28/2026

Credit unions run on a set of cooperative principles, and a few of them explain exactly why CUSO exists. Cooperation Among Cooperatives is the reason we're here at all: a group of Maine credit unions decided that pooling resources for mortgage lending would serve their members better than each going it alone. Concern for Community shows up every time we sponsor a food pack-out or put out a scam alert for Maine homebuyers. And Member Economic Participation is the whole idea behind the CU Promise loan: no PMI, a same-day decision, savings that come from being member-owned instead of shareholder-owned.

Day is one day. These principles run through every day we're open.

07/27/2026

Self-employed. Freelancing. Rental income. Retirement distributions. If any of those describe you, you have probably wondered whether your income is going to cause problems when you apply for a mortgage.

It doesn't have to.

Amy walks through exactly what lenders look at, what documentation you will need, and how different income types get evaluated. Short watch. Real answers.

What would you want to know before starting a mortgage application?

07/23/2026

According to the data, 64% of recent homebuyers say they are happy with their current mortgage rate.

That might surprise you, given the headlines of the last two years.

But it makes sense. Buyers who moved forward found homes. Buyers who held out for a better rate are largely still waiting, and prices have not dropped enough to make up the difference in most markets.

Rates matter. The math on waiting does not always work out the way buyers expect it to.

Curious what a mortgage looks like at today's numbers? That conversation is free. Start at cusohl.com.

07/22/2026

Every credit union starts the same way: people deciding to look out for their neighbors as much as their bottom line. On July 31st, credit unions across the country celebrate that idea for Day, and CUSO is joining in.

CUSO exists because a group of Maine credit unions decided homebuyers deserved that same neighbor-first approach applied to mortgage lending. We've got more to share leading up to the day. Mark your calendar.

07/21/2026

Before you write that offer, make sure you have done these three things:

1. Get your pre-approval current. If it is more than 60 days old, refresh it. Sellers and their agents look at the date.

2. Know your walk-away number. Not your ceiling. Your actual limit, the one you will not cross even if you love the house.

3. Ask your loan officer about the inspection timeline. Knowing how long you have and what happens if something comes up is part of making a confident offer, not a panicked one.

Summer moves fast! Being ready before you find the right home is what keeps you from losing it.

07/20/2026

Most homebuyers in Maine and New Hampshire go from an accepted offer to closing day in about 30 to 45 days.

The wait feels longer when you can't see what's happening inside it.

Our new blog opens up the modern mortgage process and shows you what to expect at each step. It covers how the 30-to-45-day timeline actually moves, which parts now happen on your phone and which still call for a real conversation, and where closings tend to slow down so you can stay ahead of them.

A few steps are specific to buying here, like septic and well inspections on rural Maine properties, or scheduling around an independent appraisal.

One line sums up the whole piece: 👉🏼 a buyer who knows where their loan stands moves through the process differently than one who is guessing.

Whether you're buying your first home or coming back to it after a few years away, this is the clear, honest walkthrough you've been looking for.

Read it here: https://cusohl.com/modern-mortgage-process-maine/

How the mortgage process actually works in Maine today: closing timelines, digital vs. in-person steps, and what buyers can do to close faster.