Sold on Saturdays: Homebuying 101 9/19

Homebuying 101: One Morning, One Room, Real Answers

Sold on Saturdays | Saturday, September 19 | 10 a.m. 3224 Shackleford Pass, Little Rock, AR 72205

Most people learn how to buy a house from whoever happens to be closest to them. A cousin who bought back in 2019. A coworker who had a rough closing and still talks about it. Somebody at work who heard something about credit scores that may or may not be right.

That's how most of us get our information, and it's why so many people put off calling anybody. You don't know what you don't know, and you'd rather not find out in front of a stranger that you're further away than you thought. September 19 is the version from the professionals.

Your internet scrolling and AI-ing prompts, in person.

What the morning looks like

We put a team of industry professionals in one room with you. Lenders, Realtors, insurance agents, home inspectors, and more. The people who do this every day, sitting down and walking through how buying a house actually works, start to finish.

Nobody is selling you anything. In Affordable Housing doesn't originate loans and doesn't list houses. We educate, we counsel, and we refer you to the people who do. What happens in that room is information, out loud, in plain language, with time to ask follow-up questions until it makes sense.

What we get into

• Credit. What lenders are actually looking at, how to build a score, and how to hold onto it once you've got it.

• Down payment programs. There is money out there for down payment assistance, and most people never find out about it. We'll tell you what exists and how to find out whether you qualify.

• Your Realtor. What they do for you, how they get paid, and what you should expect from them.

• Insurance. How to shop a homeowner's rate instead of accepting the first quote somebody hands you.

• Inspections. Why you need an inspector, and what they catch before it turns into your problem.

• Budget. What you can actually carry. Not just the mortgage payment, but everything that comes after it.

• After the sale. Keeping up the house once it belongs to you.

  
  

Bring your questions

Come with the question you've been embarrassed to ask. Somebody else in that room has the same one. And if you've already been through part of this, bring that too. If you've been denied, if you've had a closing fall apart, if you've been saving for two years and still aren't sure it's enough, say so. Somebody in the room is exactly where you were, and what you know is worth as much to them as anything on the agenda.

About that certificate

You leave with your certificate of completion. That's the document lenders and down payment assistance programs ask for before they'll work with you, so it's worth having in hand whether you're buying this year or two years from now.

Can't be in the room that morning

Join us by Zoom. You get the same session and the same people. You just ask your questions from wherever you are.

And if you'd rather work through it on your own schedule, or you need your certificate before the 19th, the course is also available online through eHome America. Start it tonight, take it at whatever pace fits your week, and get your certificate when you finish.