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With about 56.7 million people living with a disability in the United States, according to Census Bureau data, there are plenty of disabled people who may need help buying a home.

The good news is, help is available. Here are some laws and programs designed to make homeownership more possible for the disabled:

Federal law: The Fair Housing Act prohibits lenders, sellers and real estate agents, among other housing providers, from discriminating against the disabled in the home-buying process.

They also cant be discriminated against by preventing them from making reasonable modifications to the property, such as accessibility ramps. The act requires that builders of multifamily residences meet certain accessibility standards, such as wide doors for wheelchairs.

Housing counselors from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, are available to help the disabled buy a home or deal with other housing issues.

Another HUD program ” the Section 8 Homeownership Voucher Program ” helps low-income people to rent or buy a house by subsidizing their monthly mortgage payments.

High debt-to-income ratio: Homebuyers with a low income can have difficulty getting a home loan, and people with disabilities earn less on average than most Americans.

Less income can lead to higher debt, and a high debt-to-income ratio of 43 percent can prevent borrowers from being approved for a home loan.

A disabled homebuyer with a ratio as high as 50 percent can get help through the Fannie Mae HomeReady program, which allows the income of someone else who is living in the home with the borrower to be considered household income to help them qualify for the loan.

Financial aid: Down payment assistance, such as Individual Development Accounts, or IDAs, help low-income families buy homes by giving them grants for a down payment. Programs differ by state.

Help for vets: Disabled veterans can get a Specially Adapted Housing Grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build or remodel a home for disabled access, or to use toward an existing mortgage thats adapted for disabilities.

Buying a home for the first time can be daunting. Whether youre disabled or not, seeking help from a trusted real estate professional will make the process easier.

Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist who specializes in personal finance topics.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Its no secret that the kitchen ranks highly among luxury homeowners. Often described as the heart of the home, this is where families gather together and make memories, which is why you want a cooking area thats a cut above the rest.

Here are a few key features thatll enhance your kitchen, as well as impress potential buyers if you later decide to sell your house:

Two Ovens
In luxury kitchens, two ovens are fast becoming the norm. They provide you with flexibility and functionality, especially when making a multi-course meal for large groups. When youre baking fish in one oven and cake for dessert in the other, youll be sure to appreciate having a well-equipped cooking space.

Pot Filler
For those who dont particularly enjoy lugging a pot full of water from the sink to the stove top, a pot filler is the ultimate convenience. Serious chefs love having a faucet mounted right above the stove because it lets you skip the heavy lifting and get right down to cooking.

Professional-Grade Range
Whether youre making family breakfast or hosting dinner parties, a professional-grade range is a kitchen essential. Having six to eight burners is sure to come in handy when youre whipping up elaborate meals, and the aesthetic of a commercial-style cooktop will let everyone know youre not messing around in the kitchen.

Dishwasher Drawers
Rather than having one large dishwasher, two dishwasher drawers give you the ability to clean smaller loads without sacrificing space. When you only have a few dishes to clean, running a single drawer is an efficient way to save water and energy”plus, you wont have to bend over and strain your back when loading it!

Smart Appliances
Of course, technology in the kitchen is becoming increasingly desired. Millennial buyers, in particular, value having appliances they can control through their smartphones or by giving voice commands to a virtual assistant. Smart ovens, touchless faucets, and refrigerators that notify you when ingredients are about to go bad are the new normal in luxury kitchens.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Many people enjoy the convenience of living in a city or in the suburbs, with easy access to stores and entertainment and with neighbors nearby. For others, the idea of being surrounded by nature and away from all the hustle and bustle is appealing. If you are thinking about buying a house in a rural area, carefully consider the advantages and downsides.

Amenities and Resources
Homes in rural areas are often much less expensive than those in cities and suburbs, but lower prices often mean fewer amenities and less convenience. A rural house may not have what would be considered standard features in an urban area, such as running water, electricity, central heat and internet access. Police, fire and medical help could be miles away, and first responders could take a relatively long time to reach the house in an emergency. You might also need to drive far to reach stores, restaurants, entertainment and medical providers, but you would encounter less traffic than you would in a city.

Nature
If you love the outdoors, you may be intrigued by the idea of living in a wooded area where you could see birds, deer and even larger animals, such as bears, on a regular basis. That said, some animals have the potential to cause damage to your home or harm your family or pets. Large wildlife could also draw hunters to your property, which could be both a nuisance and a safety hazard.

Rural areas often feel the effects of severe weather more than urban and suburban locations. Heavy snow, rain and wind can be more problematic in rural areas where roads may not be paved, infrastructure may be less sophisticated or not as well maintained, and workers may need to cover much larger geographic areas since homes are more spread out. A snowstorm that would be an inconvenience in an urban area could leave you stranded in a rural home without electricity and heat for days or weeks.

Work Options
Employment opportunities are much more limited in rural areas than in more populated locations. If you have a job that allows you to work from home, that may not be a problem. If you would need to drive a long way to and from work, that could cost a lot in terms of gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, and time spent commuting instead of relaxing with your family.

Community Support
Rural areas are often more close-knit than urban and suburban neighborhoods. Residents look out for each other, and crime tends to be relatively low. On the other hand, it may take time for new homeowners to feel like they fit in, and some people dislike the relative lack of privacy.

Is Country Living Right for You?
A rural home offers several advantages, such as proximity to nature and a close-knit community, but it has downsides, including fewer employment options and less convenience. Weigh all these factors carefully when deciding whether to purchase a house in a rural area.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Financial problems can strike at any time. An illness or injury can leave you or your spouse unable to work, or a childs or parents medical issue can require you or your spouse to cut back on work hours, take an extended period of time off, or quit. In such a situation, your family may be unable to cover your mortgage payments. Help is available, and the quicker you ask for it, the better.

Call Your Mortgage Company ASAP
Contact your loan servicer as soon as you realize you wont be able to make a mortgage payment on time. Be prepared to explain your circumstances, including how a family members illness or injury has affected your finances. Let the representative know whether you expect the situation to be temporary, long term or permanent.

Be prepared with figures on your households monthly gross income, mortgage payments (including a second mortgage and/or home equity loan), account balances and minimum payments for credit cards and other loans, savings account balances, and other assets. Providing specific information will allow the representative to give you detailed advice on programs that can help.

Explore a Range of Solutions
If you expect the illness or injury to affect your familys finances temporarily and anticipate that things will get back on track relatively soon, your loan servicer may suggest forbearance. That means your mortgage payments would be reduced or suspended for a period of time, and later youd have to make larger payments to catch up.

A repayment plan is another option to deal with a short-term financial problem. A portion of your missed payments would be added to future mortgage payments until you got caught up.

Your lender may also suggest reinstatement to deal with medical expenses and a temporary reduction in income. That means you and the lender would agree that youd pay the past due amount, plus any fees and penalties, by a specific date.

If you expect that a family members medical condition will permanently affect your finances, you may be able to get a loan modification. That would permanently change the terms of your mortgage, such as by extending the term, lowering the interest rate, adding missed payments to the end of the repayment period, or making another modification. The lender may even be willing to forgive some of your mortgage balance.

Dont Wait to Address the Problem
If an illness or injury in the family has left you unable to afford your mortgage, contact your lender as soon as possible to explain your situation. Many options are available to help people in difficult circumstances, but your lender cant offer you assistance if you dont ask for it. Provide detailed information, explore a variety of options, and keep records of all your communications with your mortgage servicer.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

When shopping for a mortgage, one of the most important decisions youll have to make is the length of the repayment period. Most homebuyers choose 15- or 30-year mortgages, but some lenders offer additional options. The length of the term will have a major impact on your monthly payments and the amount of interest youll pay over the life of the loan. Before deciding on a mortgage term, think carefully about your current financial situation and goals.

How the Loan Term Can Affect Payments and Interest
A 15-year mortgage has significantly higher monthly payments than a 30-year loan because the principal needs to be paid off in half the time. Payments on a 15-year mortgage are not quite twice as much as payments for a 30-year loan because the interest rate on a shorter mortgage is lower. Paying off your mortgage in 15 years could allow you to save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest, but you might be more strapped financially because of higher monthly payments.

Which Loan Term Is Right for You?
If youd like to save for retirement and/or your childrens college education, choosing a 30-year mortgage with lower monthly payments would leave you more room in your budget for those priorities. If youre relatively young and your savings were allowed to accumulate interest over a period of decades, they could outpace what youd pay in mortgage interest. Low loan payments could also allow you to pay off high-interest credit card debt and free up money for other priorities.

If you took out a 30-year mortgage, you might be able to pay it off sooner by making extra payments or by paying more than the required monthly amount. Some lenders charge prepayment penalties, so check with yours before you pay extra.

If you dont have much other debt and youre already saving for retirement and your childrens education, you might want to consider a 15-year mortgage. The payments would be much higher than they would with a longer loan, but youd pay less in interest. If you plan to retire relatively soon on a fixed income, it could make sense to pay off your mortgage quickly to avoid paying for housing after you stop working.

Before you choose a loan with a shorter term, think about your current income and whether you could afford high mortgage payments on top of everything else in your budget. Also think about how secure your and your spouses jobs are. Make sure you have a substantial emergency fund in case one of you lost your job or became unable to work for some reason.

Look at the Big Picture
Lenders offer mortgages with a variety of terms for homebuyers in various circumstances. Consider the amounts youd pay each month and over the life of the loan, and choose the term that would also allow you to achieve your other financial goals and live comfortably.

Published with permission from RISMedia.