BREWER, Maine — To give some guidance to potential home buyers, local real estate agents and homebuying and selling experts held a class at Mason's Brewing Company in Brewer to educate locals about buying a home for the first time.
Hosted by Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation in partnership with Treworgy and Baldacci Real Estate, the goal of the class is to inform buyers about each step in the process so they can make informed decisions, hopefully making the situation less stressful.
Experts went over the full home-buying process, common credit score myths, and the do's and don'ts when applying for a mortgage.
"Home buying classes, especially with the changing landscape, are very important. The entire process of buying a home can be super stressful, and there's a lot of myths out there," real estate agent Stephen Sprague said. "Doing classes all the time keeps people informed."
A mistake prospective homebuyers often make, Sprague said, is setting an offer price too low.
"Everyone out there is extremely educated on numbers. You have Zillow, you have all kinds of subjects on homes, so the buyers and the sellers out there are both very, very educated," Sprague said. "When you go in too low, you sometimes are at a disadvantage where people tend to push your price aside."
Attendees were then provided an opportunity to ask any questions they had while enjoying refreshments.
Organizers told NEWS CENTER Maine that plans were underway for another meeting for next month, but a date had not yet been set.