Housing Counseling Programs

The City of Fort Worth offers homeownership training and counseling to teach to teach renters and first-time homebuyers how to better their chances of becoming homeowners. As a federally certified housing counseling agency, the Housing Department helps citizens who want to become homeowners create and follow a budget, consolidate and pay off loans, eliminate debts and apply for a mortgage.

For those homeowners who may be facing foreclosure, the City also offers foreclosure mitigation counseling.  We’ll review your financial situation and put together an action plan to resolve your delinquent mortgage status. 

Counseling services can include:

1. Gather client information  
2. Develop loss mitigation options
3. Communicate with the client’s loan service provider
4. Submit loss mitigation package to loan service provider
5. Negotiate with junior lien holders and homeowner associations
6. Create written action plans fore foreclosure avoidance
7. Client follow up
8. Provide client with contact information for additional community services that might be available

Home Ownership Training can help citizens learn how to shop for and buy a home, get a home loan, transfer a home’s title, maintain a home and be a good neighbor.

For successful homebuyers, the city’s post-purchase counseling teaches how to protect and maintain a home and how to avoid delinquent payments. And for new or existing homeowners who run into financial problems, the city can offer assistance on how to make payments on time and how to handle the threat of foreclosure. Renters also can get help with counseling on fair housing and renters’ rights and responsibilities.

Counseling programs are open to residents of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Housing Counseling Topics

The City offers housing counseling classes in the following topics:

Credit Counseling

• How to create a budget
• How to consolidate and payoff debts
• How to apply for a mortgage

Home Ownership Training

• How to shop for and purchase a home
• How to get a home loan
• How to transfer a title
• How to maintain your home
• How to be a good neighbor

Post-Purchase Counseling

• How to protect and maintain your home
• How to avoid delinquency

Delinquency and Foreclosure Prevention

• How to make your mortgage payments on time
• How to cope with delinquency
• How to prevent foreclosure

Tenant Counseling

• How to find out about tenant rights and responsibilities
• How to purchase a home
• How to learn details of homeownership

First-time Homebuyers

• View and Print schedule (pdf)

Call 817-392-7390 to register for first-time homebuyer training, there is no charge for the class.      

Homebuyers Guide

• City of Fort Worth First Time Homebuyer Process (pdf)
• Fannie Mae HOMEPATH
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Homeownership Training Class Schedule

To sign up for a homeownership training class or to schedule an appointment with a housing counselor, call 817-392-7390

Partner Resources

• HUD Certified Councseling Agencies