FORT RILEY, Kan. - Kay Hilton, supervisor of the Military Pay Office, recently moved to Fort Riley from Florida. She arrived July 13, just in time for the Home Buying Training Seminar July 14.
"I read the 1st Infantry Division Post online and saw that they were going to give this seminar, so I made sure that I was here," Hilton said.
She began her new job at the Military Pay Office July 19. This is the second time she has lived at Fort Riley, and Hilton has never purchased a home.
Hilton said this was the first housing seminar she has attended, and she learned a wealth of information.
"Information on the different types of home loans that are out there," Hilton said. "The biggest thing for me was the inspections. Learning what to look for - the pictures were awesome."
Hilton was not the only first-time home buyer looking for information.
"(This) was one of the best (seminars) we have had this year," said Derina Williams, Public Works housing management specialist. "There were 17 people in attendance - some first-time home buyers and a few who had gone through the process before seeking new information."
Speakers with various knowledge bases on the home buying process gave 30-minute presentations and took questions from the audience.
"This audience was one of our best yet, in respect to not being afraid to ask questions," Williams said. "There was a lot of interaction with the speakers from the audience."
Speakers included Greg Hawkins, lending officer, Millennium Bank, Junction City, Kan.; J.J. Jenkins, realtor, Landmark Real Estate, Manhattan, Kan.; Deborah Cartwright, U.S.Department of Agriculture; and Dave Carrara, inspector, Flint Hills Home Inspections, Manhattan.
Hawkins spoke about the lending process and what to expect during the financial portion of home buying. Jenkins explained the initial process and the difference between a seller's agent, buyer's agent and a trusted agent, along with the differences in each state's real-estate laws.
Cartwright explained options available to servicemembers to help them with their home buying process, and how certain counties offer some tax breaks.
Carrara gave a presentation of photos of homes he has inspected to show what home inspectors look for when performing an inspection.
The next Home Buying Training Seminar will be at 1 p.m. Sept. 15, at Riley's Conference Center.
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