Have you thought about buying a home? Do you know what home equity is? Are you wondering what your credit score is? I have to confess that I know very little about the process of buying a home and have been intimidated by it because all that I heard from family members and friends was about how stressful it was!

Fortunately, when I was in Queens, NY last week, I was lucky enough to participate in workshop presented by Chhaya CDC called "The Road to Homeownership: Your Rights, Risks, and Rewards." This very empowering and accessible workshop demystified what it means to buy a home and how you go about doing it. Right then and there, my questions were answered and the process was broken down for me. This workshop is a part of a series that covers various related topics such as whether homeownership is right for you, financial and credit basics, analyzing whether you can afford a mortgage, and how to avoid predatory lenders. These workshops are particularly timely, given the recent foreclosure crisis that has affected many Americans and has brought up questions about how exactly the homebuying process works in the U.S. If you're in the New York City area and interested in attending one of these workshops, visit Chhaya CDC's website or email them at info@chhayacdc.org.

Chhaya CDC is an organization based in Queens that addresses and advocates for the housing and community development needs of South Asian Americans in New York City. They provide individualized homeownership and financial counseling, work on tenants' rights issues, and engage in community outreach on housing and community development issues. They also develop "know your rights" brochures for the community, including factsheet on how to avoid foreclosure rescue scams (available in English and Bangla).