Good Ground comes first
Homeownership is not the starting point. Before this course opens, learners complete Good Ground’s twelve self-paced modules on budgeting, cash flow, savings, debt, credit, consumer protection, income documentation, and financial decision-making. That is an Academy learning sequence—not a mortgage, employment, housing-program, or benefits eligibility decision.
Once Good Ground is complete, a learner can choose Homebuyer Readiness or continue building their own financial-wellness plan. There is no pressure to buy and no required timeline.
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What this practical course covers
Homebuyer Readiness is built around current pre-purchase education themes commonly addressed in HUD housing-counseling materials: deciding whether this is the right time, full housing costs, savings and assistance questions, credit, income documentation, fair housing, comparing Loan Estimates, consumer protection, the contract-to-closing process, and sustainable post-purchase ownership. It pairs those topics with practical decision questions and independent review prompts. It does not represent HUD approval or housing counseling.
| Lesson | Subject | Practical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is Now the Time? | A private readiness review and your own timeline |
| 2 | What a Home Actually Costs | A full monthly carrying-cost lens beyond an advertised payment |
| 3 | The Money Up Front | A private savings target and public-assistance questions to research |
| 4 | Credit and Why It Matters Here | A fair-credit review plan and one question to resolve |
| 5 | How a Lender Decides | A private documentation-readiness checklist |
| 6 | Your Rights: Fair Housing | Ways to recognize discrimination and locate official reporting channels |
| 7 | Shopping for the Loan | A written method for comparing Loan Estimates |
| 8 | Spotting Predatory Lending | A warning-sign checklist and questions before a commitment |
| 9 | Offer Through Closing | A contingency and closing-week review checklist |
| 10 | Keeping the Home | A hardship-response and maintenance-reserve planning prompt |
Certificate and counseling boundary
After completing every required Homebuyer Readiness module, a learner may request an Upward Wealth Financial Academy Certificate of Completion. It confirms completion of this Academy education course only. It is not a HUD-approved homebuyer-education certificate, housing counseling, a recommendation, or evidence of loan, mortgage, or housing-program eligibility. If a HUD certificate or individualized housing counseling is required, use an approved agency at hud.gov or call 1-800-569-4287.
Optional Meetriki cash-flow exploration
After Good Ground, a learner may independently explore Meetriki’s separate consent-based cash-flow tools. This is voluntary and private. The Academy does not receive, store, or report a Meetriki connection, financial-account data, or Meetriki results to an employer, sponsor, partner, or lender.