The 15th annual Great Neighborhood SELLabration will go down in the history books as one of the best, thanks in large part to the amazing work of the chairs, committee, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees.

Suzanne Blaum at the Great Neighborhood SELLabration

Leading the effort was Education + Outreach director Suzanne Blaum, who took the reins again this year to “quarterback” a highly successful event.

Chairs Jeanne Boughton, Andreanecia Morris, and Kim Thomas led a highly effective event committee made up of Andi Cain, Andrea Chambers, Mindy Dinicola, Charlotte Link, Tommy Manzella, Leah Solomon, Joe Uzee, Margarete Wabnig, Josh Walther, Alex Wood, and education chair Katie Witry.

Everyone who contributed to the success of the event did an outstanding job, and all the hard work really paid off as prospective home buyers from across the city were able to take full advantage of all the great resources on hand.

We couldn’t have asked for a better venue than the Corpus Christi/Epiphany Resource Center in the heart of the historic 7th Ward.

“PRC’s 15th annual SELLabration this past Saturday reflected so much that is special about our citizens and our great city,” Executive Director Patty Gay said. “Special thanks to all who worked on this event, starting with the volunteer committee and including PRC staff who helped.”

The event this year was supported by our Community Partners 504ward, HousingNOLA, and New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®.

Great Neighborhood SELLabration Workshop

The 2016 Sponsors and Exhibitors included Audubon Title Insurance Agency, LLC, Cornerstone Home Lending, Gardner REALTORS®, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust, IBERIABANK, Tricia King, Latter & Blum, Inc., NOLA Lending, Whitney Bank, Witry Collective, Mortgage Master, Liberty Bank & Trust Co., Crescent Title, Axelrad Home Inspectors, Jeanne Boughton, Associate Broker Re/MAX N.O. Properties, Eustis Mortgage, Gurtler Bros. Consultants, Inc., Keller Williams, CCWP, Movement Mortgage, New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®, NFM Lending, Quillen Remodelling, Revolution Realty, Staub Window Restorations, Title Stream, TWFG Insurance Services, Margarete Wabnig and Mirell Gallo Keller Williams Realty New Orleans, Guaranteed Rate, Providence Community Housing, Strip-Ease, Helm Paint, Ricca’s Architectural Sales, Cindy Schupp, Pipe Check, LLC, Urban Vision, Energy Smart, Gulf Enterprises, Inc., Home By Hand, Indow, Anne and James Morse, Project Homecoming, Raphael Dental, SBP, Patty Willhite, and Maria Zuniga-Lott.

Refreshments were provided by Bratz Ya’ll, Petite Rouge, Plum Street Snoballs (Courtesy of Gardner REALTORS®), and Keller Williams CCWP provided popcorn.

Professional consultations were given at the Ask-An-Architect table by volunteers Andrew Liles, Karri Maggio, Patrick Melancon, and Andrew Spaulding.

Additional information for event attendees were provided at special exhibits by A Shared Initiative, Inc., Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, LSU AgCenter, Neighborhood Housing Services, Housing NOLA, N.O. Master Crafts Guild, Preservation Resource Center, and Rebuilding Together New Orleans.

Great Neighborhood SELLabration

Attendees who had their programs signed by 20+ exhibitors were eligible for raffle prizes donated by Raphael Dental Office and the Preservation Resource Center.

And of course, it wouldn’t be the Great Neighborhood Sellabration without participation from neighborhoods across the city.

The 2016 participating neighborhood associations were the 7th Ward Neighborhood Association, Algiers Riverview, Broadmoor Improvement Association, Old Algiers Main Street, Carrollton Area Network, Coliseum Square Association, Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association, Faubourg Lafayette Neighborhood Association, Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association, Friends of Filmore Gardens Neighborhood & Community Garden, Gentilly Terrace & Gardens Improvement Association, Historic Faubourg Tremé Association, Hollygrove-Dixon Neighborhood Association, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization, NW Carrollton Association, Tulane/Canal Neighborhood Association, and Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates.

Throughout the day, there were informative workshops on topics such as “Online Resources,” “Renovation Financing,” “Making Yourself Creditworthy,” “How to Qualify for Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits,” “Preserving Your Home’s Value,” and “New Flood Zones.”

We are grateful to all of our presenters who contributed to the day’s programming: Christina Bryant with the N.O. Public Library, Zachary Smith with the City of New Orleans One Stop Shop, Katie Witry with Witry Collective, Joe Uzee with Gulf Coast Bank & Trust, Bo Smith with Cornerstone Home Lending, Ted Nusenow with NOLA Lending, Ryan Scafidel with Audubon Title Insurance Agency, LLC., Andrea McCarthy with the LA State Historic Preservation Office, Mindy Dinicola with Whitney Bank, Joseph Roberts with A Shared Initiative, Inc, Patricia Skinner with LSU AgCenter, Andi Cain with Latter & Blum Insurance, Louis Schneider with Neighborhood Housing Services, and Cat Crowell with Rebuilding Together New Orleans.

All attendees received a copy of the PRC’s 2016-17 Homebuying Handbook produced specifically for this year’s Great Neighborhood SELLabration. Special thanks are owed once again to Fonda Brennan, Jeffrey Goodman, and MPress Printing for their contributions to this year’s book. The PRC’s 2016-17 Homebuyer Handbook is now available for visitors to PRC’s headquarters at 923 Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse District.

Click here to check out pictures from the event by Liz Jurey.

Check out pictures from the event by Mae LiZama Photography below. Click here to view the gallery on Flickr.

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