By Jackie Weinhold, Realtor at West + Main Homes
What is your organization doing to meet these changing workforce needs?
- 60% of people report that perks and benefits play a major factor when accepting a job offer
- 80% of employees say they would choose additional benefits over a pay raise
- 75% of employees stressed not only the importance of employee benefits, but expressed a desire for more variety
- 50% of employees will start looking for a new job within 12 months if they are dissatisfied with the benefits offered
Don’t overlook the importance of homeownership for your team members!
According to The New York Times, most Americans still consider homeownership the core component of the American dream, “An investment in their future and a key piece in achieving goals like financial health and independence”.
The U.S. census reported that more than 60% of a typical household’s wealth came from their home equity and retirement accounts. It also found that those who owned a home had a net worth more than 80 times greater than those who rented one.
There is nothing like owning your very own place to call home. For most it is the American dream. Additionally, the financial advantages that come with home ownership are simply too great to overlook. After health insurance, employees place the highest value on benefits that bring financial security. Owning their own home represents just that.
Unfortunately, affordability is still a challenge for many
Jefferson County knows this all too well. Only 35% of the Jefferson County workforce resides within the county, leaving the overwhelming majority as commuters. One of the Arvada Chamber’s 2026 B.O.L.D goals centers around this VERY topic:
- Increase the stock of workforce housing
- Ensure workers can attain housing with reasonable proximity to their job
Arvada is not alone in this quest; The National Association of Realtors claims 80% of renters note that having enough money for a down payment and closing costs was an obstacle to achieving homeownership.
So, the question is, what can YOU do as an employer?
Amazon. Walmart. The Federal Government. These large employers, among others, are helping their workers to purchase homes by offering employer-assisted housing programs (EAHPs), which provide financial assistance through grants, loans, down payments, security deposits, along with homeownership education and counseling.
But what about me? I don’t have access to the funds/ resources that these multibillion-dollar organizations have.
Not true! As an employer you can provide superior benefits at ZERO cost to you. Diverse programs already exist that help give your employees gain access to these funds-you just need to know how and where to find them! Finding an industry partner whose expertise lies in this realm is key to help your organization both design a benefit offering that makes sense your unique situation and to help educate your workforce about the various options.
About the Home Perks Program (West + Main Homes & Westway Lending)
West + Main Homes & Westway Lending is rolling out a new “Home Perks” program that has amazing benefits for companies of all sizes. It’s a program that makes buying a home much more approachable by including:
- Benefit of up to $30,000 per employee! Participating companies and their employees are given a 1% credit of the home loan amount
- The credit can be put towards rate buy-downs, & closing costs such as insurance, fees and taxes on home loans
- And It’s FREE to participating companies
Interested in learning more and seeing if this is a good fit for your company? Contact Jackie Weinhold @720-556-5349/ jackie@westandmainhomes.com or Molly Manley 720-577-4371/ molly@westwaylending.com
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