Project Sentinel is certified by HUD to provide several important housing counseling services to
residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
First-time homebuyer education in both individual counseling sessions and
group workshops.
Potential first time buyers learn the basics of the purchase process from certified experts. Among
the topics covered are:
Deciding whether you are ready to be a homeowner -- The advantages and disadvantages
Calculation what you can truly afford to purchase, looking for financing and obtaining
credit approval, understanding factors like income to debt ratio, types of loans, working with
mortgage providers and finding other sources of funding
Shopping for the right home, planning your search, working with realtors choosing condos
versus single family dwellings
Navigating the mechanics of escrow and dealing with the various participants such as title
companies
Mortgage delinquency and default counseling.
Project Sentinel counselors work with homeowners
and lenders to find alternatives that allow the homeowner to avoid foreclosure
and save the investment they have made in their home.
Predatory lending practices can unfairly
increase loan costs and even lead to foreclosure for homeowners who become
entangled in these schemes. Project Sentinel helps homeowners avoid these
schemes, in both workshops and individual counseling settings.
