Times Home Fair Can Help You Be a Savvy Shopper
With the Southland housing market heating up, as many experts believe, it’s more important than ever to be a savvy home shopper.
And that means doing your homework and finding out how much house, and what communities, you can afford, studying home-loan options, tax considerations, disclosure, inspections and the myriad other details of home buying.
So mark your calendar for Saturday, Aug. 31, and take a day out from your house hunting to join us at the Los Angeles Times Home Buyers & Sellers Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Burbank Hilton and Convention Center, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank.
The fair, with a full day of panel discussions and more than 30 exhibitors--including lenders, Realtors and city, state and federal agencies--is just the place to get answers to all your real estate questions.
Two workshops are planned, one on home buying and a second on credit and mortgage issues, and both will be repeated in the afternoon. So you don’t even need to give up a full day.
Kick-off panels in the morning and afternoon will address the first steps a home buyer should take: how to pick the right neighborhood, how to find the right real estate agent, how to narrow the search for the right house, plus the issues of home inspection, disclosure and the tax consequences of your home purchase.
The second panel will address credit and mortgage issues, including how to get a free credit report, how to remove “dings,” how to get pre-qualified and pre-approved, how to shop for the best mortgage for you.
A special feature at this year’s fair will be expert discussion and exhibits on how to buy and sell a home online through the Internet. Fair goers will be taught how to use the Internet to find home listings, foreclosures and mortgages online.
Representatives of government agencies like the city and county of Los Angeles will explain their low-interest home-loan programs, and the California Housing Finance Agency and Veterans Affairs will be on hand to provide information on state and federal mortgages with low down payment provisions.
Tickets at the door on the day of the fair are $6 general admission or $5 with a discount coupon. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free. For more information on exhibiting or participating in the fair, call Inman News Features at (800) 775-4662.
