Mortgage service company working to help Hispanics in Central Florida buy a home – WFTV

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A mortgage company is working to help Hispanics in Central Florida achieve their dream of buying a home.

WATCH: ‘This crisis is only going to get worse’: Many struggling to find affordable housing in Florida

Data shows Hispanics have a tougher time getting a loan and buying a house due to financial struggles that the community faces when they try to get a loan.

Even though more and more Hispanics are moving here to Central Florida, the percentage of those being denied loans remains about the same.

Photos: Mortgage service company working to help Hispanics in Central Florida buy a home

Oswaldo Cabreia is a first-time homeowner who moved from Venezuela.

“At the beginning we got rejected a lot of times,” Cabreia said. “We were coming from a different country. It’s new rules, new everything.”

WATCH: Are investors driving Central Florida’s housing crisis?

This is why Ameriuno opened a location in Kissimmee this week.

The mortgage service center offers help in Spanish and English, and guides people through getting that home loan.

This is their second location in Central Florida, after opening a location in Orlando in 2020.

WATCH: ‘You know it’s crazy’: Home improvement store subcontractor complaints on the rise

Studying Hispanics’ loan applications, the company found only about 15% of them were approved.

Ameriuno said only about half of the Hispanic population in Central Florida owns their homes, versus about 75% of non-Hispanic whites.

Part of the problem is Hispanics saving money in nontraditional ways, making it harder to prove they can pay back the loan.

See more in the video above.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

©2022 Cox Media Group