Omaha remains a seller’s market, but the fever broke in late 2023. Active listings are up 18 % year-over-year, giving buyers room to negotiate—especially on homes sitting longer than 30 days in the $300–400 k bracket. New-construction inventory is concentrated in Elkhorn, Gretna, and Bennington, where builders are offering $5 k–$8 k incentives to offset 6.5 % mortgage-rate sticker shock. Meanwhile, classic neighborhoods like Dundee, Benson, and Gold Coast are posting 4–5 % annual appreciation because supply is permanently capped by historic overlays.

For borrowers, this means you can still lock a 30-year fixed in the low-6 % range with NMHL’s rate-shopper program, which monitors First National of Omaha, Core Bank, and Pinnacle daily. If you’re relocating for a corporate HQ job, timing a closing before Memorial Day historically secures the best appraiser availability—summer surge pushes turn-times from 10 to 18 days.

• Benson: 1920s craftsmans under $230 k, walkable to beer gardens and the Waiting Room music venue; FHA 203(k) renovation loans popular here.
• Blackstone District: Condos in the $180–220 k range with rooftop gardens; HOA fees low enough to meet QM guidelines.
• Florence: North Omaha’s historic riverfront; eligible for City of Omaha Workforce-Housing $5 k grant; quiet streets zoned to attractive Northwest High Magnet.
• Ralston: Small-town feel, lower property-tax mill levy, and prices still hovering at $200 k for three-bedrooms; quick commute to Offutt via Highway 275.

NMHL’s neighborhood-specific BuySafe report projects five-year equity gain using local absorption rates and school-rating changes—helpful when choosing between similar price points.

Nebraska’s property-tax system is transparent but steep. Assessed value equals 100 % of actual value, but the state uses a 2.7 % recapture rule that limits year-over-year increases on owner-occupied homes. Douglas County’s average rate is 1.76 %, so your $250 k purchase triggers roughly $4,400 annually. However, Homestead Exemption knocks off up to $2,100 for seniors and disabled veterans—important when planning for aging-in-place.

Buyers in Papillion or La Vista (Sarpy County) pay closer to 1.61 %, but factor in higher HOA dues in areas like Tuscany Hills. NMHL’s loan officers calculate true monthly housing expense—including PID bonds in Chalco Pointe or Springfield—so your pre-approval amount reflects reality, not teaser math.

Nebraska’s alphabet soup of programs can put you in a home for less than the cost of a Berkshire Hathaway A-share cocktail party:

• NIFA First Home: $10 k at 1 % over 10 years; income limit $66 k for 1–2 persons, $76 k for 3+; 660 score minimum.
• NIFA Military Home: Same $10 k for active-duty or veterans; lower 620 score threshold.
• City of Omaha Workforce-Housing: 0 % interest, $5 k forgiven after five years; purchase price cap $275 k; census-tract specific—think Near North Side, Kountze Park, and parts of South Omaha.
• FHLBank TopekaHOME: $7,500 match; can layer with NIFA; employer must be a participating member—Union Pacific, CHI Health, and Omaha Public Schools are.

NMHL is a NIFA participating lender and pulls eligibility maps in real time; we’ve paired grants with our Conventional 97 product so buyers bring $1,000 total to close on a $235 k Aksarben condo.

Offutt pumps $1.8 billion annually into the local economy and keeps housing demand steady. VA buyers can purchase up to $726,200 with zero-down and no monthly PMI—crucial when competing against conventional 5 % down offers. In 2023, VA purchases in Papillion, Bellevue, and La Vista averaged 99.3 % of asking price, proving sellers value the certainty of a government-backed guarantee.

NMHL’s VA niche includes manual underwriting down to 580 with two months of reserves and a 1.30 % funding-finance option if you want to preserve cash. Surviving spouses can use VA exemption restoration when relocating to Omaha after a PCS move—handy when Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder weekend spikes short-term rental demand and you’re weighing a house-hack strategy.

Medical debt from Nebraska Medicine or a prior bankruptcy shouldn’t bar you from owning in Warren Buffett’s backyard. Our Fresh-Start program allows:

• Scores as low as 500 with 10 % down or 580 with 3.5 % down using FHA.
• Non-traditional credit: rent, utility, even cell-phone histories reviewed manually.
• One-day out of Chapter 13 with trustee letter; two years from Chapter 7 discharge.
• Recent foreclosure okay after three years with extenuating documentation.

We keep the loan in-house for 12 months, giving you time to repair scores through NMHL’s free credit-coach portal, then refinance into a lower-rate conventional product once you hit 620. Average client gains 63 points in nine months and sheds 1.25 % on rate—saving $210 per month on a $250 k balance.