For release:
Thursday, April 16, 2008

Southern California Home Buyer’s Fair this weekend at L.A. Convention Center

Event Highlights:
.  More than 50 FREE “how to” seminars
.  Nearly 75 exhibit booths
.  Real estate market outlook from C.A.R.’s Chief Economist, Leslie Appleton-Young
.  Representatives available to discuss C.A.R.’s Housing Affordability Fund’s Mortgage Protection Program
.  Free movie tickets to the first 200 attendees each day

LOS ANGELES (April 16) – Thousands of potential home buyers are expected to converge this weekend for the second annual Southern California Home Buyer’s Fair at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. The Southern California Home Buyer’s Fair, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 18, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 19, features more than 50 educational “how-to” seminars designed to help home buyers navigate today’s real estate market with confidence and peace of mind.

The event is free to the public. In addition, the first 200 attendees each day will receive a free movie ticket (one ticket per person).

Seminar topics include monitoring and fixing credit, how to find and qualify for a home loan, and how to find and buy foreclosures, short sales, and REOs. Several of the sessions also will be offered in Spanish. One of the featured presentations includes “Market Outlook: Opportunities Abound for First-time Buyers,” which will be presented by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.) Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. The presentation will include an historical overview of the housing market, and a synopsis of the current financial situation and its impact when trying to secure a mortgage loan. Appleton-Young also will provide a preview of what consumers can expect for California’s housing market in the coming months.

The Southern California Home Buyer’s Fair (www.homebuyersfair.com) also will feature nearly 75 exhibit booths , where attendees can obtain information from industry experts about homeownership and the home-buying process. Representatives from C.A.R.’s Housing Affordability Fund will be available to discuss its recently launched Mortgage Protection Program (MPP) , which provides qualified, first-time home buyers with $1,500 per month, for six months, to help make their mortgage payments, if they lose their jobs due to layoffs. To learn more about C.A.R.’s MPP, visit the C.A.R. booth located in the exhibit hall at booth numbers 101 and 103.

The event is sponsored by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ® and the Los Angeles Times.

For complete information, go to www.homebuyersfair.com.

Leading the way...® in real estate news and information for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with nearly 150,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

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