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Home for Generations II - Home Improvement Program <br />Page 3 of 4 <br />Application Process <br />¨Step 1:Schedule a FREE Remodeling Advisor visit (optional). <br />This free service is available to all Coon Rapids homeowners and includes a construction specialist <br />visiting your home to give you un-biased advice about your home improvement projects, provide <br />you an idea of project costs, help you to prioritize your work, and make you better prepared for <br />your consultation with an architect (step 3). To schedule your Remodeling Advisor visit, please call <br />CEE at 612-335-5856. <br />¨ Step 2:Submit application to the City. <br />The City needs to verify that you and your property are eligible to proceed in this program. <br />¨ Step 3:Schedule your 2 hour Design Consultation with an Architect (required). <br />Recognizing that this program is encouraging large remodeling projects, the City is subsidizing the <br />cost for each homeowner to consult with an architect. This visit will ensure all aspects of your <br />project have been considered, increase your home’s functionality, and make sure your remodel <br />project will fit seamlessly with your existing home. Before meeting with your architect, make a list <br />of the projects you would like included in your remodel. Maybe even sketch them out. Give some <br />thought about your budget. <br />All of the participating architects have their information available on the City’s website at <br />http://www.coonrapidsmn.gov/558/Select-an-Architect-Landscape-Architect. Research the <br />options, contact them to ask questions about their work, select the architect with whom you would <br />like to meet and call them to schedule your 2 hour, at-home consultation. If you are doing land- <br />scaping as part of your project and you are including <br />it as one of your eligible exterior upgrades you are <br />also required to complete a 2 hour, at-home <br />consultation with a participating landscape architect. For each of these visits, you will be required <br />to pay $25 directly to the architect/landscape architect at the time of their visit. The City, in <br />partnership with the Coon Rapids Mortgage Assistance Foundation, the American Institute of <br />Architects (AIA) Minnesota and American Society of Landscape Architects Minnesota, will pay the <br />remaining cost of $225. You are limited to one architectural consultation and one landscape <br />consultation. You are not required to have the architect draw plans for you, but if you choose to <br />do so, that cost will be your own responsibility and cannot be financed through the program’s loan. <br />¨ Step 4:Determine your final project list. <br />Whether you hire an architect to draw some blue prints (at a cost to you), or you decide on your <br />own what projects you want to have done, you should have something in writing before meeting <br />with contractors. With a plan in hand, you will be able to present a contractor with more specific <br />information so they can provide you with a more accurate bid/estimate. <br />¨ Step 5:Apply for and secure your financing. <br />The grants & rebates through this program will only fund a small portion of your total project cost. <br />If you need financing, you should start to apply for financing now and get pre-approved so you <br />know for how much you can qualify. You are not required to use the financing through this <br />pro-gram. You can use savings, a loan or line of credit from your bank or credit union, refinance on <br />your home, or other options. If you apply for a Home for Generations II low-interest loan, you must <br />submit two bids for your projects and funds are disbursed upon completion of work. Contact the <br />Lending Center at the Center for Energy and Environment if you would like more information about <br />the 4.5% loan at 612-335-5884, loaninfo@mncee.org, or www.mnlendingcenter.org.