At Allston Brighton CDC, we bring in trusted real estate professionals—from realtors to lawyers to inspectors to insurance brokers—to share their role in the homebuying process with class participants. 

Graduates of Homebuying 101 have access to unlimited one-on-one counseling for life with one of our HUD-certified counselors. In these counseling sessions, you will receive personalized advice catered to your financial situation and homebuying goals. You can meet with your counselor as many times as you need, or just once. 

In addition to connecting with community professionals and our counselors, certificates from Homebuying 101 are accepted for City of Boston Financial Assistance, MassHousing, ONE Mortgage, FHA, & Other Loan Programs, Municipal Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Programs. Certificates acquired after January 1, 2026 are valid for two years with the option to renew for an additional year.

Framework Online is a third-party service used to provide asynchronous Homebuying 101 classes. Framework covers the same material as Homebuying 101 but does not feature presentations from local real estate professionals. After completing the course material, students must meet 1-on-1 with a counselor in order to receive their certificate. This session is usually 15 to 30 minutes long. 

Framework graduates are also eligible for all of the same loan assistance programs: City of Boston Financial Assistance, MassHousing, ONE Mortgage, FHA, & Other Loan Programs, Municipal Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Programs. Framework graduates are also eligible for unlimited one-on-one counseling. 

Sign up for Framework Online

The decision to take Homebuying 101 or Framework Online depends on a person’s needs. Homebuying 101 runs about once a month as a 9-hour course held over three weekday evenings (5 to 8pm). The course materials for Framework Online can be completed in a dedicated weekend. If a person is on a tight timeline and cannot wait for the next Homebuying 101 offering, we usually recommend completing Framework Online. 

Homebuying 101 is generally more affordable than Framework Online. Classes are $50 per person, with Boston Home Center (BHC) classes offered at $30 per person and $45 per pair. Framework Online is $75; this includes the brief one-on-one counseling session, and a co-borrower can be added onto the certificate at no extra cost.  

Classes with Boston Home Center (BHC) are funded by the City of Boston through its Department of Neighborhood Development. Classes designated as Boston Home Center are classes targeted towards City of Boston residents, although anyone can register for these classes. BHC classes include presentations and information regarding Boston-specific homebuying programs, in addition to the standard content presented in every Homebuying 101 class. 

After graduating from either Homebuying 101 or Framework Online, graduates should contact Homeownership and Counseling at [email protected] to request an intake packet. 

The purpose of this intake process is to get a sense of your financial situation and homebuying readiness ahead of the first counseling session. This way, the graduate and their counselor can begin their first advising session on the same page. 

Allston Brighton CDC does not offer pre-purchase counseling to people who have not gone through our Homebuying 101 or Framework classes.