Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [ Vietnamese PDF version ]
CONTACT: Rolly Brigham; 503-7 90- 7540

7th ANNUAL ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HOME BUYING FAIR

A FREE one stop home ownership fair will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), 10301 NE Glisan, Portland , Oregon . Organizers of the fair are targeting limited-English speaking and low-income persons, first time homebuyers from Asian & Pacific Islander communities and the general public from throughout Oregon and SW Washington .

Participating organizations from the housing industry including public agencies, private businesses, and non-profit organizations hope to attract over 1000 attendees to a fun filled day of informative homebuyer education workshops, exhibits, and informational booths. Prizes, food, entertainment, arts and crafts, and activities for children will also be part of the fair's activities .

A major objective of this event is to ensure the public and all communities throughout Oregon and SW Washington have access to home buying information and resources available to the public to become informed homebuyers. The home ownership workshops will include presentations on the “Basics of Buying a Home” and “Overcoming Barriers to Home Ownership.” Attendees will also learn about special financing opportunities and APICIA's and other agencies' down payment assistance programs. APICIA provides financial assistance to qualified low-income families to help cover down payment and closing costs. These funds are subject to availability and qualifications. There will be workshops with interpreters speaking in Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), Vietnamese, Laotian, Korean, Hmong, Russian and other languages to accommodate persons speaking in different languages.

Interested persons are encouraged to pre-register for the workshops. Pre-registrants will receive a discounted counseling session, a $25 coupon for a Comprehensive Home Buying Class presented by the Portland Housing Center on a first come first serve basis, and an additional raffle ticket to win fantastic prizes such as a refrigerator, washer, dryer, television, DVD, BBQ grill and many more. To pre-register, log on to www.apicia.org or call 971 544-1030.

Primary organizers include Key Bank, the Portland Housing Center , The Asian Reporter, Mortgage Only, Windermere Realty Group, Umpqua Bank , Homestreet Bank and the Housing Authority of Portland. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is serving as a community partner in this event. Participating exhibitors include a wide array of government agencies, non-profit organizations, realty agencies, lending institutions, insurance businesses, and other representatives from the housing industry. These exhibitors will be providing information about their services and giving away a wide variety of free promotional items.

Major financial sponsors for this 7 th Annual Asian Home Buying Fair include City of Portland, Bureau of Housing & Community Development; Multnomah County, Key Bank, State Farm Insurance; Fannie Mae, Oregon State Housing and Community Services, Washington Mutual, Umpqua Bank, Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, Chinese Times, the Edgewater Lending Group, KBOO 90.7FM and the Portland Development Commission.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO THIS FREE, FUN, FESTIVE, AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT!!!!!!COME ENJOY FREE FOOD, LEARN AND WIN FABULOUS PRIZES!!!

[ Vietnamese PDF version ]