A Home of Their Own
By Arc Anoka, Ramsey, and Suburban
Mary and her son Tony recently moved into their own townhome purchased through the HomeChoice mortgage program and the assistance of Arc of Minnesota and Arc Anoka, Ramsey, and Suburban.
As Mary said, "The driving force for me to purchase a home was so that some time down the road, Tony would have a house. As a single mom, it's important to know that he will have familiar surroundings and an established place to live."
Mary heard about the HomeChoice program when talking with an Arc advocate. She was connected with Arc Minnesota's HomeChoice Consultant and the process soon began. Mary set up a support team of family members including her sisters and brother-in-law. She attended home-ownership classes with her sister and found them very helpful. The classes covered all the details of home ownership.
Then she began looking at houses. What started out as fun quickly turned into work. With market prices high, she looked at many houses before she found one she liked. When she found the right one she said, "I loved it from the first day - it just felt like home to me."
The work was just beginning, however. She worked closely with the HomeChoice Consultant and her bank to keep on top of all the paperwork that had to be completed by closing. To help keep her monthly cost down, she applied to Arc Anoka, Ramsey, and Suburban, Inc. for additional down payment assistance made available through grants from US Bank and Edina Realty.
After some very close calls, they were able to close and move into their home at the end of August 1999, just in time for Tony to start school in his new neighborhood. Tony has made some new friends to bike with, and they enjoy walks on the wooded trails that lead to the Coon Rapids dam and park.
Mary's advice to others is "Be determined and don't give up. Keep after people if you need to - it's wonderful in the end to have your own home!"