News
The African American Homebuyers Fair
So you think you want to buy a home? Work with the experts and do your research
Dozens attended the African American
Homeownership Fair
Sprinavasa and Jesse Brown liked the first house they
viewed and eventually bought it
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
I
African American Alliance for Homeownership
aaah.org, is at 825 NE 20th Ave. Portland
Innovativechanges.org offers financial
education at the Lloyd Center
Impactnw.org helps one achieve and
maintain long-lasting self-sufficiency
Hownw.com programs provide home buying
assistance based on income
Sponsors: Safeway Food & Drug
Brown Clown points out the way way to go to
your own home
f you dream of buying your
own home, but are not sure
how to go about it, you’re not
alone. Dozens of hopeful Port-
landers turned out Oct. 26 to the
2013 African American Home-
ownership Fair to find out how to
get started.
“We’ve thought about it, but we
have some work to do,” said Herb
Anderson at the fair with his part-
ner Edwina and their son Mekhi.
“We’ve heard some great ideas on
how to build our credit, and hope-
fully with some of this help we’ll
be buying a home within 18
months. This is really useful.”
A program from Innovative
Changes, for example, helps drive
up your credit score by issuing a
small loan and reporting all your
on-time payments. Nancy Yuill,
staffing the booth offered a range
of tips for improving your credit.
“Paying your bill on time is very
important,” she says. “And a rule
of thumb is to keep your borrow-
ing below one-third of your credit
limit.”
Sponsored by the African Amer-
ican Alliance for Homeownership,
the fair was held in the atrium of
Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Banks,
real estate agents and housing
experts were on hand to offer serv-
ices and classes that prepare
buyers to make one of the most
important decisions of their lives.
Sprinavasa and Jesse Brown say
they are glad they made the leap.
The couple won last year’s raffle
prize: a $1,000 down payment.
This year, the pair returned as new
homeowners, to encourage other
buyers to take advantage of the
help available.
“We came last tear and ultimate-
ly attended a homebuyers class
with the African American
Alliance for Homeownership,”
Sprinavasa said. “It was a great
relationship. We felt like we had a
team of experts supporting us, We
found out about resources we did-
n’t know about. We found a bank
and a real estate agent, and now
we own a house.”
The Browns laughed as they
admitted they liked the first house
they viewed, and eventually
bought it.
The time spent taking a class
and working with AAAH was well
worth it, Sprinavasa said.
“Even though the housebuying
process was very stressful, having
experts support us helped us stick
with it.”
The Anderson family and
Rusimbana and Iddi Birahma
were among several participants
who said they were surprised and
excited to learn about savings
match programs that can help
qualifying homebuyers double
their savings.
“Some programs offer almost
100 percent of help with the down
payment,” said Ron Jackson a vet-
eran and retiree who attended with
his daughter Rachel Jackson.
“This is the first-time I’ve been
actively looking,” Rachel Jackson
said. “I’m learning that there is a
lot of help out here from down
payment assistance to educational
programs that help you buy.”
Rachel, a Ph.D. student studying
IT management, hopes to buy her
home next February or March,
while her father is aiming for May.
Angeeleac Williams came along
with her friend Ebony Chester-
field.
“People are tired of paying rent
when they can buy for the same
money,” she says.
Ebony Chesterfield said she
rents from Portland Community
Reinvestment Initiatives, and
already knows that she qualifies
for several programs. She was
learning a lot from the experts, she
said.
“There’s a lot of money out
there to help you buy a home and
to help you keep a home,” she
said.
“I might work with Wells Fargo
because they have a new program
that starts in November. They
have a good program.”
If you didn’t make it to the fair,
but need help to buy or refinance
your home, contact the African
American Alliance for Homeown-
ership or another accredited
housing nonprofit, advised Jesse
Brown.
“Be dedicated. Stay patient.
Research, research, research.”
And Sprinanvasa Brown added,
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives,
pcrihome.org, is at 6329 NE MLK Blvd
Portlandhousingcenter.org offices are at 3233
NE Sandy Blvd. 9 am-5pm, Monday to Friday
Habitat.org helps families break poverty and
build long-term financial security
Oregonhomeownersupport.gov helps avoid or
limit the impact of foreclosure
Sponsor: The Skanner News Group
October 30, 2013
The Portland Skanner Page 9