Daytona housing fair aims to help first-time buyers, those seeking to avoid foreclosure
This year's event, which is free and open to the general public, will take place on Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Allen Chapel AME Church at 580 George W. Engram Blvd. in Daytona Beach.
The housing fair will offer up-to-date information on available resources, one-on-one counseling, and mini-classes on topics such as how to build good credit, navigating the home-buying process, and foreclosure prevention.
"The purpose of the event is to educate the public," said Lydia Gregg, executive director of the nonprofit Mid-Florida Housing Partnership, which puts on the annual housing fair in partnership with the City of Daytona Beach.
The yearly event is held each April in observance of National Fair Housing Month and the enacting of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, familial status or religion when it comes to selling or renting housing units or providing mortgage loans or insurance policies for homes.
MFHP recently held a similar housing fair in Palm Coast that drew more than 100 people.
"This event is for the homebuyer, particularly first-time homebuyers. It's also for the homeowner who is looking for the resources that might help them save their home," said Gregg.
The event will offer a wide range of experts including MFHP and City of Daytona Beach staff, Realtors, home inspectors, lenders from financial institutions, and insurance industry professionals. "They'll all be there to answer questions and teach classes," said Gregg. "We're also bringing back the very popular free-credit pools so participants will be able to pull their credit reports, completely free of charge with no impact to their credit score."
The federal government is currently undergoing massive budget cuts across the board. Looming potential cuts, both in funding and staffing, to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development could hit close to home for many in Florida.
Both the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program (S.H.I.P.) and Home Investment Partners program (commonly referred to as "Home Money") rely on federal funding for the grants that the state and local governments use to create affordable housing and provide down-payment assistance programs.
"We get several calls a week from people reaching out for help for the first time, people at risk of losing their home," said Gregg.
MFHP board member Lucy Stewart-Desmore, a broker associate with LPT Realty, said she has been getting an increasing number of people turning to her for advice because "they've gotten into a bad spot."
The problem, Stewart-Desmore said, is that people often wait until it's too late to avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. "Especially when it comes to property ownership, you've got to keep up with every little thing," she said.
Addressing problems early on can make a huge difference. It is also important to know what resources are out there that homeowners and prospective homebuyers can tap — if they act now, said Gregg and Stewart-Desmore.
"I don't want to say that the sky is falling, but it would be a mistake to assume that there will always be those programs out there," said Gregg. "We're in a time of change and uncertainty like never before."
For details, visit the Mid-Florida Housing Partnership's website at mfhp.org or call 386-274-4441.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona housing fair aims to inform first-time buyers, existing owners
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