Event Coverage
“How to be a Smart Buyer/Seller” Multicultural Homeownership Seminar Held Saturday, September 25
Members of the public trekked to the Sunnyvale Senior Center throughout the afternoon of Saturday, September 25 and attended a number of free sessions offered as a community outreach program by SILVAR's Equal Opportunity Committee.
SILVAR's "How to be a Smart Buyer/Seller" Multicultural Homeownership Seminar was made possible by a Diversity Initiative grant from the National Association of REALTORS® and featured two topics for prospective home buyers and two topics for prospective sellers. A fifth session focused on myths and misconceptions about distressed properties.
Presenters included Hazel Valera of Clear Credit Exchange, who spoke on the topic, "How to Improve/Fix Your Credit Score"; Jimmy Kang of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, who gave presentations on "How to Qualify for a Loan" and "Moving Up in This Market"; Moise Nahouraii of Referral Realty, who spoke on "Selling Strategies"; and Tim Alston of Keller Williams Realty, who gave a presentation on short sales from both buyers' and sellers' perspectives.
SILVAR President Jeff Bell and President-elect Gene Lentz, along with Equal Opportunity Committee Chair Tess Crescini and Board Director John Tripp welcomed the public to the event.
Feedback from the public was good. They noted information that benefitted them most from the event included learning about how to repair credit and fix a FICO score, the benefits of triple payments to credit cards, how to pay off a loan sooner, how to achieve a successful sale in the shortest time and the highest price, and how long it takes to complete a short sale.
The Equal Opportunity Committee would like to thank the following sponsors who supported this special community outreach event: Major Sponsor Wells Fargo Home Mortgage – Palo Alto (Jimmy Kang) and booth sponsors Innovae Designs Home Staging (Sejal Parekh); Referral Realty - Cupertino (Moise Nahouraii); Keller Williams Realty (Palo Alto & Cupertino – Alicia Sandoval, Robert Reid, Virginia Thomas, Laura Welch, Penny Sur); Proficio Mortgage Ventures (Richard Miller); The Home Works Construction; Alain Pinel Realtors – Saratoga (Pearl Bell) and Bank of America (Niki Hosseinzadeh).
The City of Sunnyvale, neighboring cities of Cupertino and San Jose and the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County were also on hand to provide information on assistance programs for home buyers and sellers.
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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.