HOUSTON – The homebuying process can be a scary one, but with knowledge and education, many will soon achieve their goal of becoming a first time homeowner.
“I’m here to learn more about the home buying process. I want to know everything that I can,” said Nikki Smith.
The Advancing Homeownership Fair was hosted at the Houston Community College Eastside campus. Wells Fargo hosted the free event, which included helping people with navigating down payments, closing costs and the pre-approval process. Experts said interest in the event comes with rising rents.
“I found it very helpful in terms of understanding credit score worthiness, understanding just the best routes to take,” said John Starks. “Myself, I’ll be a first-time homebuyer, just looking to see what different programs and offerings that the United States government or regional, anything in Houston that I could grab.”
Organizers said that while they understand concerns over high interest rates, which have risen dramatically over the last couple of years, it shouldn’t hold anyone back from buying a home.
“I know that there may be people that are concerned because the rates are going up, but I do want to clarify, since 1974 up until now, the average interest rate has been about seven percent,” said Valeria Esparza-Chavez with Wells Fargo Home Lending.