The Maine State Housing Authority extended its low first-time homebuyer mortgage rates to veterans and active military personnel in Maine on Wednesday.

Dropped is the first-time-home requirement. The difference between getting a loan on a $150,000 home at the current rate, 5.125 percent, and a conventional rate 1 percent higher is a savings of $30,000-plus over a 30-year loan, according to an online mortgage calculator.

“Any time we can help and assist our soldiers and personnel in the military, it’s a good thing,” said Lt. Col. Michael Backus with the Maine National Guard, who hadn’t heard about the move. “I’m going to help share the good news.”

MSHA spokesman Dan Simpson said 1,094 families used the first-time homebuyer program last year. Those buyers hadn’t owned a home in at least three years. He said work was still being done to determine how big this new pool of borrowers could be.

Veterans and active military personnel will still have to meet income and home price restrictions that vary by county.

Honorably discharged veterans and active military who haven’t gotten loans through Maine Housing before can also use the VA mortgage guarantee program to lower their down payment, Simpson said.

A change in federal law allows veterans who had purchased homes before to take advantage of MSHA’s program, he said. The state took a step beyond in including active personnel.

“It’s something that we can do at the state level to show our appreciation for the sacrifices our veterans and current military made in defense of our country,” Gov. John Baldacci said in a news release. “We hope many veterans and active military personnel take advantage of this benefit.”

More information at mainehousing.org.

– Kathryn Skelton