Free advice to first-time home buyers offered by Mt. Airy USA

Buying a home for the first time can be scary because you know if you make a bad decision you’re locked into a loan that you’re committed to for 30-years.

That’s one of the reasons Mt. Airy USA (MAUSA), the local community development corporation, offers a first time home buyer workshop.

“We guide people through the home purchasing process to give them a foundation of information so that they can make responsible and informed choices ,” MAUSA’s Executive Director Gupta said.

Cynthia Bradley, a housing counselor for Mt. Airy USA, leads the workshops. “People get to learn about the loan process for getting pre-approved for a mortgage. They get to hear about how to choose a home from a realtor. They also get information about why a home inspection is important when purchasing a home, and the difference between a home inspection and a home appraisal. And they get to hear information from an insurance agent about home insurance,” Bradley said.

Barbara Kelly, a business development officer for Citibank, says informed buyers have fewer problems down the road. “Numerous studies have shown that people who go through housing counseling have lower delinquency and lower foreclosure rates than people who do not go through housing counseling,” Kelly said.

First time home buyer workshops take place the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. The next Mt. Airy, USA first time home buyer workshop is scheduled for Thursday, June 28 at 6703 Germantown Ave. Suite 200.

Thomas A. Cochet is a student at Temple University. He writes for Philadelphia Neighborhoods, a NewsWorks content partner, an initiative of the Temple Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab.