Q: Where to Get House Smarts? A: At Times Fair

QUESTION: Almost nothing prompts more vexing questions than the process of buying a home, especially for first-timers. Where can we get credible answers?

ANSWER: We recommend the Los Angeles Times Home Buyers Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Burbank Hilton and Convention Center, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank.

For a small investment of time and money, you can get answers to all your home-buying questions: how to pick the right neighborhood, evaluating schools, comparing a new home and a resale home, choosing a good agent, finding a home inspector, understanding legal and tax matters.

The two-hour kickoff panel for the morning session will feature Times’ “Real Estate Q&A;” columnist Robert J. Bruss; San Gabriel Valley Realtor Marty Rodriquez, the top U.S. real estate agent for Century 21, and Michael Glickman, executive director for Fred Sands Realtors.

In the second panel discussion, consumer lending experts will tackle credit and mortgage questions.

The morning panels will be repeated in the afternoon sessions, with most of the morning’s headliners returning.

Tickets at the door on the day of the fair are $6 general admission or $5 with a discount coupon. To exhibit in the fair, call Inman News Features at (800) 775-4662.