By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Class will soon be in session for anyone looking to buy a house.

Tubbs Realty will offer a class on Feb. 3 at the Gardendale Civic Center for prospective home buyers. The session will feature tips from agents and lenders.

“Everything that people hear or see is negative,” said Karen Tubbs of Tubbs Realty. “Our whole thing is, yes you can buy a house. We want to take the fear out of home buying.”

Recent housing statistics from research firm RealtyTrac suggest that about 850,000 homes nationwide are on the market right now. The firm projects about a million more foreclosures this year.

However, Tubbs said now is the perfect time to buy a house because it’s a buyer’s market.

“The price of homes are down so people can buy more home for their money,” she said. “The biggest bonus is the interest rates are so low.”

Some buyers may quality for a loan with an interest rate as low as 4.5 percent, she said. Additionally, there are other programs that allow a buyer to pay no money down. Others may quality for a $7,500 first-time buyer tax credit.

She said reputable lenders are also getting easier to find because more and more predatory lenders have closed their doors. Anyone attending the class will be provided with a list of about 30 lenders and home inspectors.

This is the first such class to be offered by Tubbs’ company, which employs about 20 agents in Forestdale, Summiton, Fultondale, Gardendale, Kimberly, Hayden and Mt. Olive.

The class, which will begin at 6 p.m., will also feature door prizes and refreshments. For more information, contact Tubbs Realty at 608-1997.