BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Buying a house can be overwhelming but there is an upcoming event where Kern County residents can get some guidance.
On February 25, the Ventura County Community Development Corporation offering Bakersfield residents a virtual homebuyer course.
VCCDC is a nonprofit working to help low and moderate-income families become homeowners in several California counties, including Kern.
They’re partnering with the city of Bakersfield to provide homebuyers with up to $23,000 in down payment assistance through loans and grants which can be combined with existing programs for up to $63,000.
"The city of Bakersfield wants to increase homeownership in their city and a way to do that is to help individuals and families be able to achieve that in a situation in a market where it is very difficult," said Director of Lending Services Alex Vega.
He said during the homebuyer course, you can learn about the program and other aspects of the homebuying process. They’ll talk about how to prepare, how the credits and loans work, how to work with real estate agents and inspectors, escrows and much more.
Vega said they want to help more people find the stability that comes with being a homeowner.
“Homeownership sometimes is just being able to get that puppy that the kids have wanted and they are not able to have when they're renting. To be able to paint that bedroom bright pink [that] they cannot do because they're renting and to just know that they have a stable place where they're not going to be asked [to] move. They know that they have a 30-year fixed mortgage where the payment will not change as opposed to rent that continues to increase," he said.
The virtual workshop is happening Saturday in both English and Spanish. You do need to RSVP online. Click here to do so.
If you can’t go, don’t worry. They partner with the city of Bakersfield year-round and offer virtual workshops plus other services.
