Bank teaches Hispanics about home-buying basics
Posted on Sunday, July 9, 2006
Area Hispanics learned the step-by-step process of buying a house on Saturday during a seminar hosted by First Security Bank in Springdale.
“ We’ve seen the growth of the Hispanic community and we want them to be equipped with the skills they’ll need to buy a house, ” said Tara Aguilar-Hernandez, mortgage originator for First Security Bank.
Aguilar-Hernandez said Saturday’s seminar drew in nearly 40 people and was held as part of First Security Bank’s quarterly education series, Creciendo Juntos, to teach Hispanic residents how to bank in the United States.
“ This was our first year to do it here and I think it was a huge success, ” she said. “ We need more programs like this. I saw a lot of lights going on in people’s heads today. ”
José Manuel Pineda moved to Springdale nearly eight years ago. Since then, he has wanted to buy a home for his family, but didn’t where to start.
“ Buying a house can be so frustrating, especially when you don’t speak English, ” he said through a translator. “ I’m trying to learn. I really just wanted to find someone who could teach me something and that’s what this seminar did. ”
Through the seminar, Aguilar-Hernandez said Hispanics learned about pre-qualifying for a loan, using a real estate agent and many other steps all the way through closing.
“ I saw lots of participation today, ” she said. “ They were all raising their hands and asking some very interesting questions.
“ A lot of it has to do with education. I think having that knowledge opens doors, especially when it comes to buying a house. ”
Aguilar-Hernandez said attendees first learned the most general aspects of house-buying.
“ After that, we went back through with a fine comb and hammered out all the details, ” she said.
“ We plan on having this type of seminar more often because there’s definitely a
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