Bringing Down the House – A Home Ownership
Discussion
Saturday, February 24 th , 2018
Collaborators: Thomas Bell Community Center, Homewise, Legacy Mortgage, Love
Realty, MFA, and United South Broadway Corporation
Goal: Bring professionals and resources together with the community to discuss
the advantages of being a home owner and how each individual can work
to achieve that goal.
Outcome:
Shaïna Saint-Lôt facilitated a panel discussion on home ownership with a
total of five panelists. Two of the five speakers were African American.
This workshop was part of a nonlinear series to address significantly low
home ownership rates among Blacks in New Mexico. First, we discussed
the value of homeownership and why people should consider buying a
home. This included a cost benefit analysis to compare renting vs. owning.
Next we talked about the transition from renter to homeowner. We
discussed key points like savings, debt, credit and education which anyone
looking to buy a home should focus on. Then we touched on financing and
the different ways to pay for a house. Here, our panelists discussed their
different loan programs and the various loan types they have worked with
during their careers. We also mentioned community resources like grants
and IDAs (individual development accounts). Lastly, we outlined the
actual steps to buy a house, mentioning the different professionals
someone would have to see and in what order. A summary of this
information, along with a directory and glossary were distributed to all in
attendance in an informational pamphlet. To incentivize attendance, we
offered lunch, door prizes, and drawings sponsored by our panelists, Olive
Garden, Sam’s Club, and Albertsons.
We received a total of 15 completed surveys after the discussion. 40%
stated they were unaware of OAAA before attending the workshop.
Moreover, an impressive 93% said their awareness of services provided by
OAAA was increased! I received feedback from panelists that attendees