City of Joplin to offer seminar for homebuyers

(From the City of Joplin)

The City of Joplin recognizes the importance of Homebuyer Education Programs in helping families to understand the process of purchasing a new home and the responsibilities that come with home ownership. To help area citizens with this process, the City is holding a free homebuyer education seminar on Saturday, October 3. The program begins at 9 a.m., and will break for lunch at 12 noon and continue from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch is on your own. It will be held in the basement of the Joplin City Hall located at 602 South Main in Joplin. Please park in the parking lot on the west side (back) of City Hall and enter through the west door entrance which is also ADA accessible.

Residents who have purchased a home through the Joplin Homebuyer Assistance Program (J-HAP) or who are considering a purchase through J-HAP are encouraged to attend.

Larry R. Eller, Joplin Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Manager, will conduct the seminar. Over the last 35 years, he has been directly involved in the construction of 150 new affordable single family homes and has helped over 400 families to achieve their dream of home ownership through various federal and state housing programs. He will welcome questions and participation from attendees throughout the session.

“Purchasing a home can be a major life decision,” he said. “We invite our citizens to start this journey with the first step of attending this seminar to help remove some of the stress and worry out of home buying.”

Topics to be covered during the seminar include:

• Managing Your Money

• Understanding Credit

• Getting a Mortgage Loan

• Shopping for a Home

• Keeping Your Home and Managing Your Finances

Each participant will receive a free notebook entitled Realizing the American Dream published by the Neighborhood Works organization along with a Certificate of Completion. The materials for this seminar have been purchased with Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Empirical studies have shown that families who participate in homebuyer education programs are less likely to default on mortgage loans and are better able to tackle the challenges that come with homeownership.

To reserve a spot in the seminar, please call 417-624-0820, extension 572 by Wednesday, September30 or email at Leller@joplinmo.org. Couples are invited to attend together. If you need special accommodations to attend the event please notify us at 417-624-0820, Extension 572 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30.