Article Contributed on: 8/21/2008 11:54:25 AM
REGISTER NOW FOR AUG. 23 HOMEBUYER EDUCATION WORKSHOP IN WESTMINSTER; BECOME QUALIFIED FOR DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE
Westminster - The Colorado Rural Housing Development Corporation (CRHDC) offers free monthly certified homebuyer education workshops along the Front Range to meet the growing demand for consumer education - providing smart advice for homebuyers before they purchase a home. In the past two years, more than 600 homebuyers attended the courses.
Register now for the next workshop in Westminster from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 at CRHDC, 7305 Lowell Blvd. Contact George Apodaca at 720-542-6568 or george@crhdc.org to register for the free class.
"The class helps you balance the responsibility of owning a home with the joy of owning a home," said Louis Sisneros, who completed the workshop before purchasing his first-ever home in Thornton, Colo. last December. "After you take the course, you know what you're getting yourself into. It helps you understand where your money is going, how much interest you'll pay and how much you'll pay in property taxes."
Research shows that homeowners who receive pre-purchase homeownership counseling are more than 30 percent less likely to default on their mortgage than homeowners who do not receive counseling.
That's especially significant in Colorado, which for the past two years consistently has ranked among the nation's top 10 states in foreclosure rates, according to RealtyTrac.com.
Specializing in homeownership education and counseling, CRHDC is one of only 101 NeighborWorks Homeownership Centers in the United States.
Researchers at NeighborWorks - the nation's largest provider of certified homeownership counselors - say that participating in a homeownership education and counseling course can improve credit scores by an average of 60 points, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest fees over the course of a 30-year mortgage.
People who attend the workshops leave not only as educated, savvy consumers prepared to become stable homeowners, they also are certified by the Colorado Housing Finance Authority to access local down payment assistance programs that provide thousands of dollars toward homeownership to qualified buyers.
Workshops cover topics including tips for budgeting and saving for down payment, establishing and maintaining good credit, shopping for a loan, negotiating the price of home, and protecting your investment once you are a homeowner.
CRHDC's homeownership center is located at 7305 Lowell Blvd., Suite 200, Westminster. The phone number is 303-428-1448. For more information, visit www.crhdc.org or www.nw.org.
About CRHDC
CRHDC, a NeighborWorks organization, is a nationally recognized, award-winning leader in creating strong and healthy communities through innovative approaches to sustainable and affordable housing, life skills and economic development opportunities for low- to moderate-income Colorado households. CRHDC provides homeownership, financial management, post-purchase and foreclosure prevention counseling, and also develops affordable single-family housing, multi-family rental housing and farm worker housing. Serving more than 40 counties and hundreds of families, CRHDC serves urban communities through an affiliate corporation - Colorado Housing Enterprises. Specializing in homeownership education and counseling, CRHDC is one of only 101 NeighborWorks® Homeownership Centers in the United States.
CRHDC AND THE NEIGHBORWORKS® NETWORK
CRHDC is a member of the national NeighborWorks network, which creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and safe and affordable rental housing. Since 1991, NeighborWorks America has assisted nearly 1.2 million low- to moderate-income families with housing needs. Much of that success is achieved through support from the NeighborWorks network - more than 230 community development organizations working in more than 4,400 urban, suburban and rural communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $15 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation's leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.
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