The West Side and Black Rock-Riverside
Neighborhood Housing Services,
359 Connecticut St., held its monthly homebuyer education course recently. Homeownership Counselor Lauren Jednak, right,
teaches the class not only to people interested in living on the West Side but
also to people looking to buy a home around Western New York. The class is for first-time homebuyers and is highly recommended,
or in some cases even required,
by banks to receive a mortgage loan. “We spoke about preparing for
homeownership, like getting your credit score where it needs to be,” Jednak
said. “Banks want to see a 620-credit score in order to get a mortgage.” The
class costs $65 to attend, and residents who plan on going need to pre-register
as spaces are limited for the course.
Lackawanna resident Tamra Hughes, left, and other residents of Western
New York completed the class and received a certificate of completion for the
course, which is valid for one year.
Jednak mentioned that the nonprofit organization not only teaches this
class but offers free homebuyer orientation courses. The orientation courses
are held to answer any questions that residents have about buying homes. The
education courses are held once a month, and the orientation classes are twice
a month. The next orientation course will be on Nov. 22. The last homebuyer education course of 2017
will be on Dec. 2. Homebuyer education
classes will resume once again monthly in January 2018. By Alyssa Brannigan and Talyor Carruth
