Pre-Purchase Counseling

Spanish Coalition for Housing helps low and moderate income individuals and families acquire safe, decent and affordable housing.  SCH’s trained and competent staff works directly with clients and maintains professional relationships with a wide variety of housing coalitions, real estate professionals, lenders, fair housing and consumer protection groups, and other housing professionals.  SCH is certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide housing counseling to low and moderate income individuals.  The objectives of the Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program are to:

• Provide the necessary foundation to housing consumers to develop competence and responsibility in meeting their housing needs;
• Provide the necessary information and assistance to renters and homeowners to enable them to avoid rent delinquencies, mortgage defaults and foreclosures;
• Provide housing consumers with information and assistance regarding HUD and Chicago Housing Authority Housing programs;
• Enable Prospective mortgagors to understand and accept their responsibilities to their mortgages (lenders) and to HUD.

Some of the services offered through the Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program are:

• Default: To assist homeowners with information to prevent default and/or foreclosure.
• Pre-purchase: To assist potential homebuyers with information that will guide them through the home-buying process.
• Pre-rental: Assist clients interested in obtaining low income Housing with information and/or application.
• In addition to the above-mentioned services, SCH assists clients with their real estate taxes to make sure that they are getting the correct credits.  SCH also provides information and/or referrals to other service providing agencies.

The agency’s clients are often first-time home buyers.  SCH helps them create a budget, showing their income and expenses, so they may better understand their buying power.  SCH counselors carefully explain the pros and cons of home owning.  SCH staff advises them of their right under the Fair Housing Act.  For example, it is illegal to discriminate in housing because of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap or familial status.  They are advised that they may purchase any home they can afford, in any neighborhood they choose.  They are also advised to contact a lender and get a pre-approval before they purchase in order to head off problems and make an intelligent offer once they find a house.  SCH counselors explain down payments, interest rates, closing costs, and the types of mortgages available.  SCH also acquaints them with real estate terms they are likely to encounter.

SCH advises clients on how to choose a real estate agent and an attorney before starting a serious search for a home.  SCH cautions them to take their time, emphasizing this will be the biggest investment they will make.  In addition to helping them understand how to check out a property, SCH tells them what to look for in the neighborhood.  SCH explains why it is wise to hire a certifies inspector to give them a detailed report on the condition of the property, before they purchase it.  Once finished with the pre-purchase counseling program, families are ready for homeownership.