Family Room

Families in central Florida just found it a little easier to buy a house with room for Grandma. This fall, CTX Mortgage (a Centex Corp. subsidiary) and Fannie Mae introduced “Seniors and Family Together,” a pilot program that allows buyers to use the income of extended family members who live with them (such as aging parents) when qualifying for a mortgage. “Many families, regardless of race or income, have been bringing an elder into their home,” says Nancy Sharifi, a senior deputy director at Fannie Mae’s central Florida partnership office, who says the trend popped up locally at a nearby Centex Homes community.