What you need to know to buy your first home

For Joan Minor, being a realtor is a way to save the city she loves and help the people in it she says.

Minor is going to join the Sebastian County NAACP in efforts to help diverse first-time homebuyers, among them st Black people and those of Hispanic and Asian descent as growth in Fort Smith continues.

And she said she realizes there is a lot to know about buying your first home.

"What I love about the NAACP is that they are so hopeful that they will bring diversity and every race of person out. It just happens to be the NAACP. Our goal together is to let people know the first step."

The market, the availability, the financing. All can be important factors in finding the right home for the right budget.

In Fort Smith, The Sebastian County NAACP is hosting a first-time homebuyers event 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday April, 29 at the Resolve Event Center in Towson Event Plaza, 3610 Towson Ave. Suite #4.

The steps to becoming a homeowner will be covered from saving up money to making the leap, said Fort Smith realtor Minor of eXp Realty.

Minor worked in corporate training fields before deciding she wanted to help people as a realtor and change her own career path.

As a Northside High School graduate of 1991 she attended Westark Community College.

Minor said when she was becoming a homeowner herself, she first learned the importance of understanding what you can afford to purchase.

In a city with only 9% of the residents Black, she said Fort Smith has a bright future for all residents.

"I think we are a good foundation for diversity. We are represented through our mayor. All races are represented throughout our community. We are a very loving community. We are a very accepting community," Minor said. " I have great hope that as diversity continues to grow in our community it will be a beautiful experience. I have all hope in our community."

She said Fort Smith is also on the cusp of a boom with an influx of people coming for future jobs such as the Ebbing Air Base foreign jet fighter pilot training program in the near future. There are plenty of houses for sale in Fort Smith, she said.

Fort Smith is a community where she was raised and one she loves, and wants to help represent residents, she said.

"I absolutely adore Fort Smith it's my favorite place in the world," Minor said. "That was another reason we wanted to invest in our community through acquiring property, other homes for rental, or rehab or whatever the case may be."

2023 is Minor's second year as a realtor. She said two years ago, the housing market was hot, despite the pandemic, and she made the change in careers.

"My husband (Larry,) and I really wanted to explore investment opportunities in real estate, and so I just decided, or we decided together it would be a great idea if I got my real estate license and it has just turned into a career," Minor said. "What I love about real estate is the knowledge and ability to help other people."

Minor said Fort Smith's strength is the future, and she expects to be busy when the Ebbing Air National Guard Base Foreign Military Sales Pilot Training Center.

"We have so many things coming up and those families coming in. Our community is going to grow so much. The foundation of that is real estate. All of these wonderful people who are going to come to our community are going to need a place to live," Minor said. "They are going to need to feel welcomed, and really realtors now are going to be part of that ambassadorship."

Olan James, Sebastian County NAACP president, said the event is important for Black, Latin and Asian people since many people will come from Singapore for the future jet fighter training program at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.

"Economic empowerment in communities of color is one of the major initiatives of the NAACP," James said. "Increasing Black and Latin home ownership in Sebastian County can only help to enhance the community, and build wealth for future generations.

"Great things are ahead," Minor said.

At the homebuying event on April 29, Minor will be joined by Shana Hughes of Gateway Mortgage, Tisha Frazier, Keller Williams, Juan Beltran, eXp broker, and Mike Fuchtman, rural housing manager, and Bridgetta Shepherd of Arvest Bank.

Minor said she wants people in Fort Smith to learn about homebuying.

"Buying your first home or even buying your second home can be very cumbersome because there are a lot of steps," Minor said.

This year, the interest rate for homebuying borrowers dropped slightly and has stayed around 6%.

"What we're experiencing right now is a busy market," Minor said. "We are seeing people still with the need to buy and sell, so we are busy."

Minor said the process of prequalification will help people to become homeowners.

To find out how to register for the event call or text Minor at 479-420-0166.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Fort Smith first-time homebuyers event is April 29