FORT WORTH, TX — Fort Worth officials and the nonprofit Housing Channel are putting on a free Homebuyer’s Fair on Saturday to help residents who are being squeezed by high home prices and higher borrowing costs. The event is meant to connect prospective buyers with lenders, housing counselors and local aid programs that can reduce the upfront cost of buying a home.
The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Heights High School, 3908 McCart Ave. It comes as families across North Texas continue to face a difficult mix of affordability pressures, especially lower- and moderate-income buyers who may have assumed ownership was out of reach without first checking available assistance.
What The Fair Offers
Housing Channel President Donna Van Ness said the event is designed to show buyers where help exists and how to use it. She said attendees can learn about down-payment support, closing cost help, credit improvement and budgeting guidance, along with ways to start saving and get matched with lenders.
The city’s Homebuyer Assistance Program is one of the main resources being featured. It can provide up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance for eligible buyers whose household income does not exceed 80% of the area median income. For a family of four, that limit is about $88,250, and the money can be used to buy eligible homes within Fort Worth.
Programs And Income Limits
The fair will also include tours of newly renovated homes in the Carroll Park neighborhood of southeast Fort Worth. Those homes are listed at about $135,000 and are available to buyers whose household income does not exceed 120% of the area median income, offering a separate path for households that may not qualify for the city’s lowest-income assistance tier.
Housing Channel also helps residents access Tarrant County’s Homebuyer Assistance Program. That county program offers up to $50,000 in down-payment assistance for eligible buyers with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income, and it can be used in communities across Tarrant County outside Fort Worth, Arlington and Grand Prairie, including Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Burleson and Mansfield.
How To Learn More
Van Ness said many residents wrongly assume they cannot buy a home in the current market without first learning about available programs. She said counselors can help with credit, budgeting and financial planning, while also connecting buyers with lenders and additional assistance options.
Residents who cannot attend Saturday’s fair can still get information through Housing Channel’s homebuyer orientation sessions. A virtual session is set for Sept. 2 at 10 a.m., and an in-person session is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Housing Channel’s offices on Grainger Street in Fort Worth. All of the events are free, and registration details are available through Housing Channel.
More on what homes, rents and new builds are doing near you, on RHS Commoner.
