Go ahead: ask what your country can do for you

Ever heard of HUD's "Officer Next Door Home Sales Program"? It offers police officers a 50 percent discount off the list price of homes in "revitalization areas" from HUD's inventory of REO properties (OK, no disparaging remarks about how it's always been your dream to live in a revitalization area).

I'd never heard of the program before getting a press release about the upcoming six-year anniversary of the Web site GovBenefits.gov. The site's mission is a simple one -- to answer the question: "Are there government benefit programs available to help you?"

GovBenefits.gov's home page looks so cheesy, I thought for a minute it was a scam. But it turns out it's legit. Participating government agencies include HUD, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, and others that may be in a position to assist home buyers or real estate firms. Search for housing programs, and you get a list of more than 50 (some look more promising than others).

One bone to pick: the "Officer Next Door" program has apparently morphed into the "Good Neighbor Next Door" program, and now includes teachers and EMTs. That's great, but the link to the "Officer Next Door" program from GovBenefits.gov hadn't been updated -- it took me to a dead page on the HUD Web site. Here's the link to the "Good Neighbor Next Door" program.

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