Q: I hope to buy my first home later this year. My income is pretty good, but I don’t have a lot of cash in the bank, so my mom has agreed to give me some money toward the down payment. Do you have any tips for people in my situation?

A: Sure. First, contact two or three mortgage brokers and banks in your area to see how they feel about your mom’s down-payment contribution and how her financial help would affect your loan application.

If the money your mother provides doesn’t have to be repaid, both you and she likely will be required to sign a simple gift letter that says so. But if the money eventually must be paid back, the bank may reduce the amount it will lend you because your total debt obligations will be raised by the personal loan from your mom.

After your mother has decided how much money she’ll provide, ask her to put the cash in your bank account right away. The lender you choose probably will check the average daily balance in your checking and savings accounts for the previous three or six months before the application is filed.

Depositing the money in your own bank account immediately will raise your average daily balance, which, in turn, could improve your chances of getting approved for the largest mortgage possible.

Q: My 35-year-old son is deaf, so he uses American Sign Language. He has lived in the same apartment for 10 years, and the landlord always let me act as an interpreter when it came to solving problems like leaking pipes and worn-out rugs. The apartment building was sold last month to a nasty woman who is threatening to evict my son because he can’t communicate directly with her. What can we do?

A: I’m sorry that the new landlord is being such a jerk. She also appears to be in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, which requires rental investors and most other property owners to make “reasonable exceptions” in their policies and operations to afford people with disabilities equal housing opportunities.

Contact the local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for help with the new landlord. Also call local fair-housing agencies and the rent board.