Dave Aizer speaks with Consolidated Credit’s Director of Housing Counseling & Community Outreach Sandra Tobon, about the first-time homebuyer programs, why it’s important to go to the first-time homebuyer orientation and how Consolidated Credit’s HUD-certified counselors can help you in buying a home.
Buying a home is one of the most significant financial and emotional purchases that people make.
But rising home prices and hefty competition from cash buyers has created a challenging seller’s market that can be tough for first-time homebuyers to navigate.
It makes the need for homebuyer education more essential than ever, and luckily the folks at Consolidated Credit are here to help.
Consolidated Credit’s housing counseling team is approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide first-time homebuyer education in Florida.
And they’re led by Sandra Tobon.
Dave: Hi Sandra, how are you?
Sandra: Hi Dave, how are you?
Dave: I’m doing great, so let’s talk about the exciting things that you have going here. What types of programming does Consolidated Credit’s team provide to first-time homebuyers?
Sandra: The first-time homebuyer programs that we provide to our clients, allow us to provide the education and the one-on-one housing counseling to our clients. With that being said, we offer orientation, first-time homebuyer certification, and the one-on-one.
Dave: So, let’s talk about the homebuyer orientation class. Tell me about that.
Sandra: Well, if you ask me, it’s the first step that we want our clients to take towards the process of buying a home. It’s not an easy process, so in that orientation what we do is we teach clients, or at least we give them the first steps they need to know when they need to approach the lender.
Dave: What are some of the things that maybe a first-time homebuyer doesn’t know, and then they hear them, and they say oh, I never would’ve thought of that?
Sandra: Absolutely. That’s a great question, especially because they think that buying a home is just going to the bank, present themselves to the bank and request the loan. It’s not. They need to know about what is the difference between a financial institution, what is the difference between a mortgage broker and there are so many other professionals involved in this process that people don’t know, and that’s what we want to teach.
Dave: Yeah, it can be an emotionally exhausting experience if you’re unprepared right? And people don’t always have your best interest in mind when you’re buying a home.
Sandra: Absolutely. That’s exactly what we think here. So that is the reason why we have this process laid down for our clients.
Dave: And tell me about the certificate of completion, that they get upon completing the course. Why is that so important?
Sandra: Well, the government wants to do with this mandatory education is to provide the clients with the necessary base education they need, when they sit with us or the housing counselors, so we can talk the same language. The housing counselor will guide them through how to create a budget, what is important to have a good credit score, and what is it to have a good credit score. And how much savings they need to have to buy a home.
Dave: Regarding the course, is it just for first-time homebuyers, or can anybody buying a home, 3rd home, 4th home, 5th home, can anybody benefit from it?
Sandra: Anybody can benefit from that. I have so many clients that bought a house for the first time, 5-10 years ago and they always say I wish I had known about this. Because there is always something that you need to learn from that class. Buying a house is one of the most complex financial transactions that you can do in your life. Come to us. Let us help you with the process, and you will be able to learn a lot from it and you are gonna be able to buy a house without making many mistakes.
Dave: Well Sandra, thank you so much for dropping some great wisdom and knowledge, and helping homebuyers learn a little bit more about the process.
Sandra: Thank you Dave for having me here today.
Dave: Of course, our pleasure.
If you’re buying a home this year, call 1-800-435-2261, to speak with a HUD-certified housing counselor, so you can become mortgage ready and get on the path to achieving your dream.
