McCarthy Family Story
Alexandra was first introduced to Homestead CLT’s program by her supervisor at work, who sent her an email with a link to some information about our program. Alexandra checked out the link but her perception at the time was that she, a single mom, would not be able to qualify for our program or any program to help her into homeownership. Her past experience with getting down payment assistance indicated to her that there was no help out there for a person in her situation. Due to her experience, she disregarded the info as she felt it just did not apply to her.
“...closing happened very quickly after the pre-approval process. I am altogether happy with the program, and I believe the staff and organization as a whole are very professional”
Alexandra was renting a home during this time when the owner of her home decided to put it on the market. She was faced with the possibility that she would need to vacate her home at any time and she did not have a plan in the works for finding new affordable housing quickly for her family.
Fortunately, about six months later, a friend passed along to Alexandra more information on Homestead CLT’s program. The information came from a real estate agent that worked mostly with the Russian speaking community in the Seattle area. The difference this time was that the agent’s info clearly broke down the numbers, which showed the down payment, mortgage payment, and income requirements, and for the first time Alexandra realized that YES, she could do this! Armed with this new information, Alexandra was motivated to apply to our program – and we were happy to approve her!
Alexandra’s impression of the home-buying experience, in her own words, was “great, and closing happened as quickly as possible after the pre-approval process. I am altogether happy with the program, and I believe the staff and organization as a whole are very professional”. The most difficult part of the process for Alexandra was the fact that the home she was purchasing was bank-owned, which presents more challenges to the closing process than purchasing from a person. She believes that without Homestead CLT, homeownership would still be out of reach, and she would not be able to provide such a stable environment for her family. There was nothing on the market in her price range at the time that would allow her to purchase a home with the same quality in the city of Seattle. Without our program, she believes she would still be renting.
Alexandra and her son Sean are very happy in their home, and she has referred several families to our program since becoming a member of the Homestead Community Land Trust. Alexandra wants to specifically encourage other single parents, who may be experiencing the same challenges she faced, to check out our program and apply. Alexandra is employed with Lutheran Community Services and administers international counseling and community services to refugees and their families, and she believes our program is an important resource for these families; families that have had to flee their home countries and leave everything behind. Homestead CLT can be their first step towards establishing stability and homeownership.
For more information about Lutheran Community Services and their mission, check them out on the web at www.lcsnw.org/seattle/iccs.htm
