Naperville's first housing expo to offer advice for homebuyers, renters

Experts with advice on how to buy, maintain or rent a home will be all in one place Saturday, April 11, as the city of Naperville hosts its first housing expo.

The new event is an effort to provide answers for people with all types of housing needs, said city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche. Help for buyers, renters and seniors usually is spread out among several agencies.

"Bringing them together in this expo as a one-stop shop we think can help the community," LaCloche said.

The DuPage Homeownership Center, BMO Harris Bank, Naperville Bank & Trust and the Main Street Organization of Realtors are the city's main partners in the event, which will present resources from 19 agencies or businesses including banks, real estate agents, lawyers, home remodelers, title companies and insurance agents.

Chris Prod, a housing counselor at the homeownership center, said the agency's role is to offer the financial counseling many people need before buying their first home.

"I manage the financial fitness program, which provides the education that's missing from grade school, high school and college on how to get your finances straight," Prod said.

That advice will be the focus of the first panel discussion during the expo, which runs 9 a.m. to noon at the NIU Naperville Conference Center, 1120 Diehl Road. The 9:15 a.m. session will cover the money side of buying a house including topics such as financing, credit, grants, incentives, homebuyer assistance, budgeting and avoiding foreclosure.

"If you're living in a rental right now but thinking about potentially becoming a buyer, what do you need to do with your credit to make you a suitable buyer," LaCloche said.

A panel at 10:15 a.m. will cover home maintenance and tips for seniors to stay in their homes. How to choose a contractor, how to avoid scams, how to use programs that help pay maintenance costs and which types of repairs require city permits all will be discussed.

A final session at 11:15 a.m. will discuss the rental responsibilities of landlords and tenants. Members of the city's housing commission, who helped plan the new event, will lead the session and share information about Naperville's crime-free housing program. The city council could extend the voluntary program or make it mandatory.

Panel discussions will provide plenty of time for experts to answer questions.

"We're really hoping to open up questions to the audience and let them ask anything," Prod said. "We'll have the resources there to answer whatever they're interested in."