PEP, June 2008: DC 37 Housing Fair

Agency _____________________________________________

I am interested in attending the following workshops:

Home Ownership
9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Home Ownership Seminar will put prospective homeowners together with representatives of all aspects of the home purchasing process — including lenders, realtors, home inspectors and attorneys from DC 37’s Municipal Employees Legal Services (MELS), as well as homes available in the lottery system and any grants that may be available to help members reach the dream of owning their own home. In many cases they will be able to apply on the spot.

Reverse Mortgage
10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
A reverse mortgage is a loan against your home that you do not have to pay back as long you live in the property. The seminar will instruct individuals 62 and older on how to turn the value of their home into cash without having to move or repay the loan. The seminar will also review the pitfalls of reverse mortgages.

Foreclosure Prevention
3 - 4:30 p.m.
(The Save Our Home Campaign)
In response to the catastrophic effect of foreclosures on some of our members, DC 37 has set up this foreclosure prevention seminar and intervention clinic to assist members who are in foreclosure or have fallen behind in their mortgage payments.
We will coordinate with nonprofit providers, government agencies, MELS and representatives from financial institutions.

Credit Counseling
2 - 3:30 p.m.
The seminar will concentrate on the importance of reviewing members’ credit history in all aspects of day-to-day life, not simply home ownership. Participants who sign applications to authorize the housing program to look into their credit will be able to obtain their credit scores.

Get the answers you need at the June 25 Housing Fair
	Where can a homeowner with anadjustable rate mortgage turn for help when the monthly house payments become too expensive? How can first-time buyers improve their credit scores to get better interest rates? Is a reverse mortgage safe for a retiree who is house-rich but cash poor? These and other questions will be answered June 25 at the annual DC 37 Housing Fair sponsored by the union’s Municipal Employees Housing Program at union headquarters from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members can attend seminars on credit counseling, home ownership, foreclosure prevention and reverse mortgages. They can get advice from counselors from Municipal Employees Legal Services, MEHP and leading lending institutions, whose representatives will be ready to renegotiate mortgages for members locked into adjustable rates that can be converted to fixed rates for qualified borrowers, said Henry Garrido, the assistant to the associate director. “This is one of the steps we are taking to help members prevent the tragedy of foreclosure,” he said. To register to attend the MEHP Housing Fair workshop please return the coupon above by June 18.