In this first episode of the Land & Legacy Podcast, host Simon Johnson sits down with the National Housing Trust (NHT) to unpack one of Jamaica’s most empowering homeownership tools; the Cluster Loan. Designed to help first-time homeowners, including low-income earners and even members of the diaspora, the Cluster Loan allows groups of three to eighteen contributors to pool their NHT benefits to purchase and develop land together. Listeners will learn how the program works from eligibility criteria and maximum loan limits of up to $7.5 million per person, to interest rates as low as 0% and repayment terms of up to 40 years. The episode also explores how the NHT supports each project with subdivision assistance, infrastructure approvals, and free architectural plans. While the opportunity is transformative, Simon and his guests discuss the importance of teamwork and accountability within the cluster, and how this model can help Jamaicans at home and abroad literally build their own communities from the ground up
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