About the event
What: First-time Home Buyer Workshop.
When: 4 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Gold Mortgage, 511 W. Ninth St. in Claremore.
Event highlights
1. Tralynn Hightower, a real estate agent at Keller Williams Realty in Owasso, is leading the home buyer workshop. Hightower said her passion lies with helping young families buy their first home, and her goal for the workshop is to show people purchasing a home isn’t as scary as it might seem.
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2. Hightower said Morgan Vanover, a loan officer at Gold Mortgage, will review attendees’ credit score and income to help determine if they’re ready to purchase real estate. She said Vanover will also provide information on lending programs first-time home buyers can lean on for financial assistance, such as those offered by REI Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.
3. Hightower said attendees will also hear from a local insurance agent and escrow officer. Jennifer Mugford of Allstate will discuss how and why prospective property owners should purchase homeowners’ insurance, and Kacie Teigan, of Elite Title Services, will talk about how abstracts, deeds and titles work.
4. The workshop is free to attend. Hightower said anyone who wants to know more about buying their first home but can’t make the meeting may reach out to her at 760-972-7986 to set up a one-on-one session.
Why attend?
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Hightower said the home ownership bug bit her after she bought and sold her first house in her native California. She moved to Oklahoma in 2019 and bought her second home with the equity from her first.
She said the experience taught her the importance of owning property for building wealth. Hightower said she helped 14 couples under 25 purchase their first home last year, and she hopes the workshop will give more people the tools they need to buy their first piece of land.
“Anybody who’s either been too afraid or have heard rumors and never really talked to a professional and has rented their whole life, this class will benefit them,” Hightower said. “I always tell people, don’t listen to your uncles or your dad that bought a house 20 years ago because it’s not the same. Things always are changing in the real estate market.”