Clermont County residents looking to purchase a home may benefit from a class being offered by the Clermont County Department of Community Planning and Development.

A home buyer education training program will be offered at 9 a.m. Jan. 20 at 2381 Clermont Center Drive in Batavia to help people in the market for a house to understand the ins and outs of buying a home.

“It’s a requirement of the CHIP program,” said Werner. “And, if someone goes through out down payment assistance program they have to have a home buyer education training. This also helps with anyone else interested in learning about it. We open it up so people can learn more about down payment assistance and buying houses.”

The CHIP, or Community Housing Improvement Program, provides a range of services including such classes as the one scheduled for January, and Werner said that a similar class is already being planned for later next year.

As the first class of its type in Clermont County, Werner said that they are hoping for a big turnout, and said that, should they be unable to accommodate all who come to take the class, those turned away will be given another chance.

A new class, she said, will be scheduled shortly after the first if necessary to give everyone a chance to come.

“We’re expecting quite a few knowledgeable people there,” said Werner. “A lot of people have called and volunteered to help. Anyone who can come and answer questions will be great. This is the first class, but we will have more, because we just received the grant again. This will fulfill the obligations of the previous grant. This class will be over in the early afternoon.”

The class itself will cover a range of topics, from maintaining a home to finding a down payment to buy one. Werner said that there will be a range of experts on hand to help those with homebuying questions to get some answers.

“We’ll be training on money management, because that is one of the hardest things for people to get into when buying a home,” said Werner. “There will be budgeting for buying a home. We’ll discuss how to find affordable housing. We’ll have bankers there to discuss how to find home financing. There will be realtors there and someone from a title company. The bankers will also discuss down payment funding. They explain closing costs, appraisal costs, interest and we will have consultants to explain home maintenance. A lot of these people will be first-time home buyers who maybe never lived in a house before. We’ll discuss general maintenance they may not be aware of, like when to change the furnace filter.”

For more information, call (513) 732-7904.