La Mesa realtor organizing first-time homebuyers fair

Annie Chavarria, a real estate broker with Vivendi Group, a real estate office at 9001 Grossmont Blvd., La Mesa, is organizing a Homebuyers Fair for first-time homebuyers from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Vista Civic Center, 200 Civic Center Dr., Vista. Admission is free. The public is invited to attend the educational event. Information will be available in both English and Spanish. The Consulate of Mexico booth will offer consular services at the event. Chavarria is a member of the North San Diego County Association of Realtors (NSDCAR), a 5,500-member trade group for San Diego-area realtors that is presenting the Homebuyers Fair.

Topics discussed at the Homebuyers Fair will include information about the home buying process, benefits of ownership vs. renting and improving credit scores. Additional information will include special grants and down payment assistance programs to help homebuyers overcome affordability challenges and become purchase-ready. Participants will include representatives of a credit counseling service, a tax preparation firm for tax-related questions and a HUD-approved nonprofit agency that provides virtual counseling services and housing-related programs and resources.

Also available will be free health screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure at a health and wellness booth, as well as educational materials provided by the San Diego Black Nurses Association and Kaiser Permanente Center for Healthy Living. Schedule to speak at the opening ceremonies will be Vista Mayor Judy Ritter. For more information, call NSDCAR at (760) 734-3971 or visit

http://www.nsdcar.com/calendar/community-home-buyer-fair/.

While the workshop is free, advance registration is requested at https://nsdcarcommunityhomebuyerfair_092317.eventbrite.com.

Brokers and agents are encouraged to attend and bring their clients. NSDCAR officials said attendees will not be solicited by realtors at this educational event. The workshop is made possible by a grant from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Housing Opportunity Program. The NSDCAR Housing Opportunity Committee is presenting the fair.