Housing Forward Publications

Everything You Need
to Move Housing Forward

Housing work happens at every level, in city hall, at a kitchen table, on a job site, and in a community meeting where half the room isn’t sure what “Area Median Income” means yet. Good resources meet people where they are. That is what this section of the Housing Forward website is designed to do.

Whether you are a developer looking for financing tools, a local official ready to modernize your zoning, a first-time homebuyer trying to understand your options, or a resident who just wants to follow the conversation without needing a glossary, you are in the right place.

We have organized everything into three areas. Start with the one that fits where you are right now.

Toolkits & Guides

For builders, buyers, and local leaders ready to act.

Housing does not get built by data alone. It gets built when the right people have the right tools at the right moment, when a planner knows how to update a zoning ordinance, when a developer can navigate a financing program, when a homebuyer understands what assistance is available to them.

This is where those tools live. We have organized them by who you are and what you are trying to do, so you can find what you need without wading through what you don’t.

Housing Forward Publications

Guides, tools, and reference materials created by Housing Forward to help Region G communities,
developers, and partners move attainable housing projects from ideas to action.
Housing Forward Guidebooks and PDFs Region G MI

Redevelopment Guide

Turn vacant and underused properties into housing. A step-by-step path from site to finished project.
Housing Forward Referenced and PDFs Region G MI

Housing Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms behind housing policy, finance, and development.
Housing Forward Tools and PDFs Region G MI

Rental Housing Pro Forma

A spreadsheet template for evaluating the financial feasibility of rental housing projects.
Housing Forward Tools and PDFs Region G MI

For-Sale Pro Forma

A spreadsheet template for testing the numbers on for-sale and homeownership developments.

Redevelopment Guidebook
Companion Tools

Housing Forward Checklists and PDFs Region G MI

Due Diligence Checklist

One page per property, drive-by to close. Built for small developers rehabbing 1–4 unit homes.
Housing Forward Checklists and PDFs Region G MI

Common Rehab Mistakes

The issues that most often blow up rehab budgets. Run this list before every project.
Housing Forward Tools and PDFs Region G MI

Market Comparison Analysis

Establish a defensible after-repair value, the most important number in any rehab pro forma.
Housing Forward Checklists and PDFs Region G MI

Permit & Inspection Sequence

Which permits to pull and when inspections happen in a typical Michigan residential rehab.
Housing Forward Checklists and PDFs Region G MI

Project Closeout &
Punch List

The final 5% takes real effort. Everything to verify before you list or lease.
Housing Forward Tools and PDFs Region G MI

Contractor Vetting & Bid Comparison

Vet every contractor and compare bids apples-to-apples before you sign a contract.
Housing Forward Tools and PDFs Region G MI

Renovation Scope of Work Template

A fill-in scope of work that protects both you and your contractor on every project.
Housing Forward Checklists and PDFs Region G MI

Rental Readiness &
Habitability Checklist

Every item Michigan law and code require before a tenant moves in.
Housing Forward Tools and PDFs Region G MI

Soft Cost Worksheet

The cost line items rehabbers miss most. Plan for 8–15% of hard construction costs.
Housing Forward Guidebooks and PDFs Region G MI

Weatherization & CDBG Pathway

Two state programs that stabilize cash flow for small developers and contractors.