CITIES USE SPECIAL PROGRAMS TO BOOST HOMEOWNERSHIP.(CAPITALAND RPT)

Byline: LYDIA POLGREEN Staff writer

In his annual State of the City address in January, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings said increasing the homeownership rate in Albany is one of his top priorities for the coming year and announced several new programs to lure buyers to the city.

It won't be easy.

With a school system that has a less-than-stellar reputation and an aging stock of largely two- and three-family homes, getting buyers interested in a piece of the rock in the state's capital city can be a tough sell.

``For whatever reason, right now central cities are not the most popular places to buy a home,'' said James Ader, executive vice president of the Greater Capital Association of Realtors, an Albany-based …