HOME STRETCH, The first step to home ownership

A first-time homebuyer workshop (Home Stretch) will be held in St. Cloud from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at Liberty Savings Bank (111 7th Avenue South).

Pre-purchase counseling is also available by appointment. This is a free service to anyone who wants to talk with a certified homeownership counselor about their personal situation pertaining to buying a home.

You have the opportunity to free yourself from some of the complications and stress in buying a home by participating in a Home Stretch Workshop offered by Central Minnesota Housing Partnership.

By participating in this class, you will learn about qualifying for a mortgage and financing a home, budget and credit issues, real estate, the closing process, basic home maintenance and affordable mortgage products that may be available to first-time homebuyers.

Central Minnesota Housing Partnership, a non-profit organization providing affordable housing services to the central region of Minnesota, coordinates the Home Stretch workshop. Community lenders, realtors and other housing professionals volunteer their time to bring first-time homebuyers the most important and current information about the home buying process.

“It’s a great time to be a first-time homebuyer,” said Stacy Esboldt, Program Coordinator for CMHP. “There are so many opportunities out there for homebuyers at the moment and Home Stretch will provide the needed information a first-time homebuyer should know before beginning the process.”

Some affordable mortgage products, first-time homebuyer products and government loans may require a buyer to receive a Home Stretch certificate.

“Home Stretch is the best “first-step” in the homebuying process,” said Esboldt. “Buying a home is usually the largest investment an individual/family will make in their lifetime. I find it to be very necessary to take advantage of the market and slow things down a bit by learning more about this investment.”

There is a $25 fee per household to participate in Home Stretch and registration is required. To register for the St. Cloud all-day, one-day workshop please contact Stacy Esboldt at Central Minnesota Housing Partnership at (320) 259-0393.