Home Buyer Counseling and Education Program:
During early 2008, HAND held an 8-hour homebuyer pre-purchase education session. The purpose of HAND’s homebuyer counseling and training program is to educate Hamilton County citizens about the home buying process, financial management, credit, and homeownership responsibilities including maintenance. When aspiring homeowners are educated about these issues, they are able to make better decisions regarding what types of mortgages to take out, how to handle credit card and other debt, and how to manage their finances. This education will help reduce the number of people taking out predatory loans in Hamilton County, and therefore fewer families will go through foreclosures. Furthermore, this education can assist families in decreasing or eliminating their debt so that they can eventually be more financially independent and begin to build their assets.