Robin and Simone are in their early 40s and married with 3 children. They were clients of the Urban League of Palm Beach County for over 5 years before becoming new homeowners. Credit issues and lack savings were their key obstacles at first; but after attending the Urban League homebuyer education and other financial workshops, they were able to overcome these obstacles. After several counseling sessions, they improved their credit scores to the 700s with more than $10,000 in savings. By 2016, they were referred to Davis Landing Palm Beach County Community Land Trust and placed their name on the list for one of their new construction single-family units. After their lease ended in March 2017, the family moved to Simone’s parents’ house in order to save more. Palm Beach County has a special down payment for Davis Landing CLT first time eligible homebuyers.
In May 2018, the family achieved their homeownership goal by purchasing a brand new single family home for $220,000 and received $79,442 from Palm Beach County! They have a first mortgage loan of $140,000 at a rate of 3.25% fixed for 30 years, with a monthly housing payment of $934- this is a difference of only $400 from what they used to pay for rent. The second mortgage of $79,442 carried no interest and will be forgiven after 30 years. Although it was a struggle, and there were times that they wanted to give up, they continued to provide whatever documentation was needed and the end result is they are very happy to own their own home. Their message to others is to call the Urban League for your housing needs because their counselors will help you explore all resources available in the community.
If you’d like help in buying a home, contact your local Urban League today!
