NHS of Waco’s Home-Ownership Expo Attracts
Nearly 3,000
By Linda Austin
From Summer 2003 NeighborWorks® bright ideas
Nearly 3,000 people attended Neighborhood Housing Services of
Waco’s first annual Central Texas HomeOwnership Expo at
the Heart of Texas Fairgrounds. Touting "Why Rent?"
billboards across McLennan County, NHS took a radical step with
the two-day expo to bring Central Texas residents closer to the
American dream. Admission and lunch were free.
According to NHS Executive Director Roy Nash, it is hard to get
the word out that there are creative ways and programs to help
people buy a home, even if they have a low to moderate income.
The expo brought together Realtors, lenders, builders, nonprofits
and others.
"Collectively," Nash said, "we could do a better
job of getting the people this much-needed information."
Different organizations participated for a number of reasons,
but all had a common goal. Jim Lambert, northeast branch manager
for Genco Credit Union, said the credit union is about to celebrate
its 50th anniversary, "but we are still looking for ways
to let people know we are around and we can help them with financing."
Coldwell Banker employees Fran Good and Joy Dodd echoed similar
feelings. "We are in the business of homes," said
Good. "We are trying to help people realize they can buy
a house." Dodd said she is concerned because statistics
show that ownership in the city of Waco is one of the lowest in
the nation. She wants to convince people to invest in their future.
While Kerry Thomas, owner of Grass-Kat Lawns, wanted to introduce
owners to a more economical way to get a beautiful lawn, First
Preference Mortgage Corporation representative Cindy Keller said
her primary concern was to protect the borrower. Keller, who is
assistant vice president, wanted people to realize they could
find low finance rates without being taken advantage of by predatory
lenders.
Attendees took advantage of a number of different seminars held
every hour. "Buying a Home with Little or No Money in Savings,"
by NHS, was of special interest to Felix and Laura Chiota. A pilot
with Aurora Aviation, Felix Chiota said they had not bought a
house because they didn’t have a substantial down payment.
Even though they missed the beginning of the seminar, Chiota
was impressed that Shoan Holley, NHS HomeOwnership Center manager,
took the time to talk with them one-on-one about available programs
and opportunities.
Holley said the NHS seminar discussed organizations in Waco and
McLennan County that could help people buy homes. USDA focuses
on rural development outside the city limits of Waco, he said,
while the city and Faith Covenant Support Services have programs
to help in Waco. NHS works in both the city and county. Donna
Dyer and Paulette Sewell, West Bank & Trust representatives,
said the expo was an excellent idea. They already are making plans
to attend next year. Bo Winneberger, a loan officer with First
Preference, believed industry participants accomplished what they
came to do.
"Time spent here is minimal compared to the help we provided,"
he said. Cheryl People, a teacher assistant at Waco Alternative
School, agreed. Being a single parent, struggling, she often felt
having a home was a dream she could never achieve, but the expo
offered her the knowledge, steps and assurance that owning was
within reach. "Now I know it can happen," she said.
NHS plans to make the Central Texas HomeOwnership Expo, held
in March, an annual event.
Linda Austin (theanchornews@aol.com) is
editor of The Anchor News of Waco, Texas.
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