First American Title Supports First Online Home Buyer Education Workshop in Series for LGBT community

First American Title to host inaugural workshop in series created by NAGLREP and the non-profit Housing Opportunities Collaborative


October 12, 2016, Santa Ana, Calif.

First American Title Insurance Company, a leading provider of title insurance and settlement services and the largest subsidiary of First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), today announced its support of a series of free online home buyer education workshops designed specifically for the LGBT community under the national program “Project HOME: Homeownership Opportunities Made Equal.” First American Title is the first organization in the nation to support the inaugural online workshop, “Thinking About Buying a Home,” which will be accessible online at 4 p.m. PST/7 p.m. EST on November 2. It is the first workshop in a series created by the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), a 501(c)(3) organization that connects LGBT real estate professionals and LGBT buyers and sellers online, and the Housing Opportunities Collaborative (HOC), a 501(c)(3) HUD-approved housing counseling intermediary.

“First American is a strong advocate for home buyer education and have worked closely with NAGLREP to reach out to the LGBT community, said Maria Valentin, vice president, First American Title. “Our support of the launch of this important home buyer education initiative represents our ongoing commitment to promote homeownership opportunities for the LGBT community.”

The free workshop on November 2 will provide participants with an overview of the pros and cons of homeownership, homeownership affordability and the importance of good credit. Experts will cover subjects like typical housing costs, the tax benefits of owning a home, the long-term value of equity and more. Participants can register for the free 45-minute workshop directly via the VCN website at http://virtualcounselornetwork.org/vcn-workshop-registration, or by calling 800-826-1502.

"In a 2015 survey of LGBT home buyers and sellers, 51 percent of millennials indicated they have little to no knowledge about the home buying process,” said Jeff Berger, founder of NAGLREP. “Preparing the next generation of homebuyers for this responsibility is fundamental to creating sustainable home economics that offer LGBT families stability."

The full calendar of free online home buyer education workshops will be announced in January 2017. The live workshops will be delivered using the HOC’s Virtual Counselor Network, which enables consumers to participate and interact in home buyer certification courses from the comfort of their home. The workshops are intended to benefit first-time home buyers and people wanting to learn how to prepare for the responsibilities of homeownership.

“Historical data shows that homeownership is the best way and sometimes the only way for many to build financial wealth. Still many individuals are not aware of the benefits of homeownership and are turned off by the home buying process,” said Vino Pajanor, president and CEO of the HOC. “Through the VCN Workshops, we intend to leverage professionals’ expertise, eliminate the barriers to access homeownership education, and dispel myths regarding the home buying process.” 

About First American Title Insurance Company

First American Title Insurance Company, the largest subsidiary of First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), traces its history to 1889. One of the largest title insurers in the nation, the company offers title services through its direct operations and an extensive network of agents throughout the United States and abroad. First American Title provides comprehensive title insurance coverage and professional services for real estate purchases, construction, refinances, and equity loans. For more information, visit www.firstam.com/title.

 

About NAGLREP

The National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), a mission-driven non-profit 501(c)(3) trade association, is dedicated to providing LGBT people access to LGBT and LGBT-friendly professionals that can assist them with the home buying and selling process. NAGLREP advocates housing rights and works to eliminate discrimination laws that impact fair and equal rights for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community. Based in Jupiter, Florida, NAGLREP has 1200 members and 35 affiliate chapters. For more information about NAGLREP, go to http://www.naglrep.com/.

About HOC

The Housing Opportunities Collaborative (HOC) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt HUD approved counseling intermediary, established in 2005 by a coalition of HUD approved housing counseling and fair housing agencies, other housing related nonprofit organizations, business organizations, and government agencies that support all aspects of housing rights and responsibilities. It was created to serve as an information clearinghouse by consolidating housing and related information, making it easily accessible to the public and partners. To improve the delivery of services to the community, the HOC developed the Virtual Counselor Network (VCN) in 2013 to digitally connect social services agencies and partner organizations to the community using the power of technology. HOC through its collaborative partnerships has assisted to date more than 30,000 individuals on various topics, namely, home buying, foreclosure prevention, reverse mortgage, financial coaching, credit and debt management, tax preparation, tenant-landlord education, and fair housing. For more information about HOC checkout www.HousingCollaborative.org and for more information about VCN checkout www.VirtualCounselorNetwork.org.