1st time home buyers class? (Dallas, Arlington: lenders, broker, home builder)

[mantellas]

Are there any 1st time home buyers classes/seminars in the DFW area? How do I find out about them?

[escanlan]

The City of Lewisville runs a regular First Time Home Buyer class and the information can be found at City of Lewisville Free, HUD-approved homebuyer education classes: sign up today! (http://www.cityoflewisville.com/wcmsite/publishing.nsf/Content/HOMEBUYERS+Attend+the+next+homebuyer+education+cla ss - broken link). This is open to anyone from any city.

There were other cities running these but I have since seen their programs dissapear. If you call Lewisville they can possibly tell you if there are others closer to you.

Good luck!

[DFWNewHomeSpecialist21]

Originally Posted by mantellas

Are there any 1st time home buyers classes/seminars in the DFW area? How do I find out about them?

What city are you looking to move? That would be a good place to start. City of Arlington & Grand Prairie both offer 1st Time Homebuyer workshops. After successful completion of the class, City of Arlington offers a $7,500 grant & City of Grand Prairie offers $5K grant both can be used towards down pymt & closing costs. City of Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Garland all offer $10K grants. Qualifications for the grant are based on income & how many people will be living in the household.

[MurphyPl1]

I went to one at the Dallas Homebuilders Association. It was geared to building a home, since that's who they represent. But it did have some useful information about the entire process.

HBA Home Buyer's School

[mantellas]

Thanks for all the VERY helpful input. I really appreciate it. The only ones I had found were one from a home builder company that we do not want to purchase from and one w/the city of Dallas that had a date that had already passed. I didn't know about the grants, so that could be very helpful. We're probably going to move to Lake Dallas, the southern part of Corinth or possibly Lewisville.

Thanks guys!

[nsumner]

You can start with Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs - TDHCA it will apply for anywhere you purchase in Texas, new or preowned.

Some lenders have programs where you have to take their own class to qualify.

Grants are usually for police/fire dept. personnel, teachers.

Some cities such as Frisco give down payment assistance if you live and work within the city of Frisco.

It seems that you have already identified where you want to buy, so the next step is to see what that particular city or county is offering. Connecting with a reputable lender, I would suggest a broker vs a bank in your case if you are looking at getting some financial assistance.

Corinth, Lake Dallas, Argyle, Double Oak, Little Elm, Ponder and Sanger are cities that have most of their areas qualifying for the USDA program. This is a zero down program with a few requirements of which some are:

Must be primary residence
Must meet the limited income (you can't be rich )
Must attend a class

NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) is another one that offers classes. I don't see one on their schedule but you can sign up and they'll notify you. https://www.naca.com/index_main.jsp?language=null

Good luck,

Naima

[DFWNewHomeSpecialist21]

Originally Posted by mantellas

Thanks for all the VERY helpful input. I really appreciate it. The only ones I had found were one from a home builder company that we do not want to purchase from and one w/the city of Dallas that had a date that had already passed. I didn't know about the grants, so that could be very helpful. We're probably going to move to Lake Dallas, the southern part of Corinth or possibly Lewisville.

Thanks guys!

For the City of Lewisville, their next classes are Oct. 12, Nov. 14th, & Dec 12th. All classes are from 8 AM-4:30 PM. City of Lewisvile does offfer grants. You can't make more than 80% medium income:

- 1 person ~ $37,850
- 2 persons ~ $43,300
- 3 persons ~ $48,700
- 4 persons ~ $54,100
- 5 persons ~ $58,450
- 6 persons ~ $62,750

They will assist w/ 1.5% for your down pymt & 80% of your closing costs. I am still researching for Corinth & Lake Dallas!

[mebailey]

First time home buyer classes are a great way to help prepare yourself for the home buying process! Props to all of you for being proactive!

For those of you that can't afford or simply do not have the time to take a class, your realtor should be able to walk you through the process step by step. It's their sole job to understand the home buying process. Your best bet may be to find a local realtor and give them a call. Sometimes the information is out there on their personal website for free, but you may have to sign up.

Hope this helps.

[txangel13200]

How do I find out if they offer the class in Denton, Texas, so I can get my certificate.