Essential Steps to Buying and Preserving Homeownership Outlined for Consumers

Riverside, CA – Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management is pleased to announce the release of a new resource guide in time for National Homeownership Month celebrated in June.  The guide, which is free and can be downloaded from the agency’s website, outlines essential steps for prospective homeowners to take in order to achieve their goal of homeownership.

“The guide is another resource tool to educate consumers on the process of purchasing a home,” said Melinda Opperman, Springboard’s senior vice president of community outreach and industry relations.  “Homeownership is very rewarding and buying a home is likely the single largest investment decision that consumers will make in their lifetime. It is vital that potential homeowners are educated on every step of the process,” said Opperman.

Springboard also offers an eight-hour first time homebuyer education class where prospective homeowners are educated on what to expect in the home buying process.  Classes are free and offered in Riverside, Corona, El Cajon and Las Vegas, Nevada.  Springboard’s pre-purchase education is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. A schedule of classes may be obtained by calling 800-449-9818 and asking to speak with Springboard’s education department or by sending an email to fthb@credit.org.

The step-by-step resource guide also provides important information for consumers facing foreclosure. Springboard reminds consumers that the sooner they act the more likely they are to be able to save their home. Springboard has HUD-approved housing counselors available to educate consumers on their options.  The counseling is free of charge and provides consumers with an action plan to save their home.  In 2010, Springboard counseled more than 60,000 consumers nationwide in the area of home preservation and foreclosure prevention.

Springboard’s step-by-step guide to buying a home and preserving homeownership is available for download at http://credit.org/media/docs/Homeownership.pdf.

About Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management

SPRINGBOARD® Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit personal financial education and counseling organization founded in 1974. Springboard is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, a national organization of nonprofit credit counseling agencies, and a member of the Association of Independent Credit Counseling Agencies. The agency offers personal financial education and assistance with credit counseling, housing counseling, debt and money management through educational programs and confidential counseling. Springboard is accredited by the Council on Accreditation, signifying the highest standards for agency governance, fiscal integrity, counselor certification and service delivery policies. The agency provides pre-bankruptcy counseling and debtor education as mandated by the bankruptcy reform law. The agency offers nationwide phone counseling services and has locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas for in-person counseling sessions.  Not all types of counseling are available in-person at all locations, please call for details.  For more information on Springboard, call 800-449-9818 or visit their web site at www.credit.org.