WESTFIELD- The “Buy Westfield Now” partnership team will be hosting a free seminar for individuals and families who are interested in learning about the benefits and challenges associated with home ownership. Primarily geared toward first-time home buyers, the 2-hour seminar will feature presentations from local realtors, lending professionals, an attorney, a home inspector, and others who play a role in the home-buying process. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27th, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, at the Westfield Gas & Electric Operations Center at 40 Turnpike Industrial Lane in Westfield.
“The Buy Westfield Now partnership was formed about a year ago in an effort to more effectively communicate the benefits of home ownership and the positive attributes of the Westfield community,” said Peter Miller, Westfield’s Community Development Director.
The workshop will cover areas such as credit health and budgeting; the process of being approved for a mortgage and available mortgage products; finding the right home and working with your realtor to make an offer; appraisals; home inspections; legal procedures and protections; the ongoing cost of home-ownership, including home energy audits and savings; and Westfield’s high-speed internet availability.
Miller also touted this as an opportunity for interested families and realty professionals to learn more about the City’s down payment assistance program, funded through the Community Preservation Act housing allocation.
“More than half of renters cite upfront costs required of home-ownership as their primary barrier to home-ownership,” Miller said. “Our program is designed to help qualified families who can otherwise afford a home to pass that obstacle,” he continued.
“Now is an exciting time to enter the market,” Ida Tassinari, a founding member of the Buy Westfield Now partnership said. “One of the key ingredients of the Buy Westfield Now program is to provide education to the public, and this seminar will be our first foray into that space,” she continued.
For more information on the seminar, please visit www.buywestfieldnow.net or call Peter Miller at (413) 572-6246.
The Buy Westfield Now initiative is a cooperative made up of representatives from MassHousing, local lenders, local realtors, and other stakeholders.
