What to Expect at the Home Buying Seminar

Mortgage lenders, banks, libraries and real estate firms often host home buying seminars to educate the community about the home buying process. Whether you’re a first time homebuyer or are thinking about moving to a new neighborhood, the home buying seminar in your area is a great place to have your questions about home buying answered by local professionals.

Home buying seminars are commonly conducted in places like the local library, the community center, or in a banquet room of a hotel or restaurant. It may be held as a lecture with a Q&A session, or as a PowerPoint presentation or as a slide show. Many of the home buying seminars can be attended free of charge and you will surely benefit from tremendous amount of information that will be given.

One of the key benefits of attending a home buying seminar is getting to know local realtors in person. Instead of doing your research solely online or by calling different realtors over the phone, you’ll have a chance to interact with realtors who are looking for new clients. This can be the basis of a new relationship, and you’ll have the chance to pick up their business card and learn more about their services or the firm they are working for.

Mortgage lenders that conduct home buying seminars will educate you on the financial side of home buying, and may introduce several loan packages and programs available, or even prequalify you on the spot. Meeting mortgage lenders at these events helps you establish a relationship and may make it easier for your to get started on the preliminary loan document process.

Some lender and realtors give discounts or incentives away during their branded seminars. Though local libraries and educators host such seminars, they may not be able facilitate you meeting the professional local realtors. You can get leads and referrals by going to one that is given by a mortgage lender or realty firm. Mortgage lenders sometimes even waiver closing costs during these home buying seminars, and realtors often give away gift cards and the like to their attendees.

Christina Spira and Mariwyn Evans, authors of the book “1,200 Great Sales Tips for Real Estate Pros” explain that realtors who go the extra mile often create introductory videotapes about their services and offer free gift bags to prospects attending the seminar as a way to build a relationship. You may be able to learn more about the realtor’s background, services and their unique approach with these extra freebies at the end of the event.

Attending a home buying seminar offers several benefits and can help you get some of the tough questions about home buying answered by real estate professionals in your area. Consider signing up for at least one or two events in your preferred neighborhoods for an insider’s view of the market, and to learn more about seasoned realtors in your area.

Alexandria P. Anderson is a licensed Minnesota Realtor that uses the Minnesota MLS Listings to help her clients to find and purchase Real Estate in Minnesota.