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Unless you’ve already signed on the dotted line, it’s too late to take advantage of the federal tax credits offering incentives to first-time and move-up buyers. But state and local efforts to make it possible for prospective buyers to find affordable homes continue to gain momentum.

Homes4NC, the Housing Opportunity Foundation created by the N.C. Association of Realtors to address affordable housing issues, has launched an education program for Realtors to bridge the gap between existing programs and the people who need them.

Real estate professionals hope the N.C. Workforce Housing Specialist program will help them better serve essential workers — from teachers to medical personnel to police officers — who may be looking for homes outside of the cities in which they work.

“We want to make things more affordable in the communities that they serve,” says Diane Greene, director of community outreach for the N.C. Association of Realtors. “Resources are there to help people get into a home that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.”

Those resources include counseling services, down-payment assistance, and incentive programs offered by local, state and federal agencies.

The education effort has a potentially wide economic benefit. Greene says National Association of Realtors data show first-time homebuyers accounted for nearly half of all home sales in 2009. “That strong percentage of the market by first-time homebuyers has really sustained our markets over the past 18 months. It’s expected to continue because the demographics are ripe for first-time homebuyers. We just have a large population age 20 to 30 that is moving into the stage where they want to buy their first home.”

In addition to the timing for buyers, she says, interest rates and housing prices are expected to remain relatively low. “We’re expecting first-time homebuyers to play a major role in the market in the next three to five years.”

The Homes4NC program is designed to let Realtors know about the resources available to help workers buy a home. “Once we have Realtors who are fully educated and accredited,” Greene says, “we’re going to let them educate the public.”

The foundation funded the effort with a $140,000 Ira Gribin Workforce Housing Grant awarded by the National Association of Realtors in 2009, with additional support from signature sponsor Bank of America Home Loans. The program was launched this year in critical areas such as Raleigh, Wilmington and Asheville. Greensboro is not officially part of the first phase, but was included because the foundation is based here and local real estate professionals were interested in taking part.

Though homes have gotten more affordable over the past few years because of housing and economic issues across the nation, income still plays a factor, Greene says. “We don’t see this changing a great deal, unfortunately” as wages haven’t kept pace with rising costs.

“We’re always finding North Carolina cities on top 20 lists and top 10 lists. But you know the single factor that makes these cities such great places to live is that they have a great work force that can afford to live in the communities that they serve. So this is really a response to seeing that gap widen and wanting to maintain the quality in our communities that make North Carolina so attractive to business, to tourism,” Greene says.

Homes4NC is expected to have information about the program on its Web site (www.homes4nc.org) later this month to help prospective homebuyers search for certified professionals and programs by county. “We are also launching a public awareness campaign in June to let people know about workforce housing issues and the programs available,” Greene says.

As classes are already under way, the association expects more than 100 Realtors to complete the certification by early June.

“By the end of the year it’s our goal to have at least 100 graduates in each market,” Greene says. “And of course we’re going to continue this program in 2011 and beyond. We’re hoping to have more funding to bring this to other communities.”

During the seminar on local housing programs hosted this past week by the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association, participants learned about local homebuyer counseling and financing programs, including presentations about Greensboro’s redevelopment project areas and High Point’s homebuyer assistance program, as well as introductions to ownership opportunities through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro and Housing Greensboro, and counseling services from Guilford County Homeownership Center.

The homebuyer education elements in these programs impressed the Realtors in attendance. For instance, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development programs, some administered through state and local agencies, require courses on financing and preparation for ownership, a key piece of the puzzle when helping first-time buyers successfully navigate the process.

For Robbin Smith, a broker with Allen Tate Realtors, it’s all about the education and the opportunity to give back in the community. Smith thinks the program will help real estate professionals connect clients with homebuying programs, and although Realtors don’t offer financing advice, the information she learns will help her guide clients on the documentation they need to get started.

“I can help them get their finances in order to go forward with a lender,” Smith says. “Then they can be advised through a lender.”

Smith expects to be among the first group of Realtors to complete the certification, as she’s finished the local course and the elective hours. The designation will be her seventh, including the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource certification she earned recently. In addition to the information she learns to better assist buyers and sellers, the programs also help her develop networking and referrals. “It’s a total benefit.”