SEAL BEACH : Home-Purchasing Assistance Available

People interested in purchasing homes in the city might qualify for the county’s First-Time Homebuyers Program.

The program provides qualified buyers with federal income tax credits that they can use to reduce their mortgage payments.

The credits give people who normally wouldn’t be able to afford monthly house payments the tax breaks needed to pay a mortgage.

To qualify for the program, an applicant’s household income must be less than $56,500 for a one or two-person family, and less than $64,975 for a family of three or more people, said Lee Whittenberg, the Seal Beach planning director.

The purchase price of a home must be less than $225,900, he said.

For more information, call the county’s Housing and Redevelopment Office at (714) 568-4199.