Maryland Gives Home Buyers Cash To Live Near Work

"A popular state home-buying assistance program that critics complained contributes to suburban sprawl has been renamed and retooled to encourage home shoppers to live closer to where they work.

Smart Keys for Employees is the latest name for the on-again, off-again purchasing assistance program offered in a variety of forms for much of the past 10 years by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Unveiled with little fanfare in April, the program offers qualifying home buyers grants of up to $5,000 to help pay settlement costs, if their new residence is within 10 miles of their workplace, or in the same county or municipality."