Iowa City-based Residential Mortgage Network was awarded $10,000 in the 2025 Iowa Homeownership Incubator Pitch Competition for its program to strengthen partnerships between real estate agents, lenders and community organizations.
The company was one of three winners announced at the HousingIowa Conference, held Sept. 3 and 4 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Convention Center in Cedar Rapids. The Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa REALTORS awarded a total of $40,000 in the competition.
Residential Mortgage Network’s Homeownership & Realtor Education Initiative will provide specialized training for real estate agents on loan products and best practices. The program is designed to be replicable across Iowa and aims to better equip agents to guide families through the homebuying process.
“Homeownership strengthens families, communities and our economy,” said Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa Economic Development. “We’re proud to support innovative approaches that advance financial literacy and open more doors to homeownership across Iowa.”
The other winners were Central Iowa Community Land Trust, which received $20,000 for its Affordable Homeownership that Lasts Generations initiative, and Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity, which received $10,000 for its Blueprint to Homeownership program.
The competition invited financial institutions, real estate firms and housing organizations to propose new approaches to financial literacy, with emphasis on community partnerships and promotion of IFA homeownership programs.
Finalists presented their proposals to a panel that included Travis Bushaw of Iowa REALTORS, David Horak of MGIC and Abbey Lukehart of USDA Rural Development.
“Iowa’s real estate professionals are full of innovative ideas, and it’s our honor to partner with IFA to help bring some of them to life,” said Gavin Blair, CEO of Iowa REALTORS. “We’re eager to see the impact these efforts will have and how they might be replicated to benefit even more families across the state.”
