“I feel empowered,” claims Deborah Johnson proudly after receiving her Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT down payment assistance reservation at the January 16, 2016 event at the downtown Sheraton. She’s certainly entitled to her boast after what she’s been through.
In 2004 Deborah and her family were proud owners of a brand new house. After years of saving, she was finally settled in a home of her own. Then, not unlike others during the recent housing crisis, she experienced financial problems and found herself struggling to make payments. She was trying to keep up, but when she called her lender to try and re-negotiate her loan, she was told she had to stop making payments before they’d even talk to her.
She listened, but after two months of not paying, she felt guilty and got herself caught up only to be faced with escalating costs again. Thankfully, her lender approved a short sale and although she hated to leave because she loved that house, Deborah felt that she could finally breathe. She and her family moved a few blocks away into a rental.
Her troubles did not end there, however. She was notified that her bank wanted $5000 to get her out of her loan. She made choices to stop paying her regular bills in order to save this money and as a result, had to declare bankruptcy.
After these last challenging years, Deborah has learned her lessons. She worked on her credit score and as she said “God was ready for me to buy again.” This time, however, she’s doing it right. When asked why homeownership is so important to her, Deborah stated “I want something that I can leave to my kids. Owning a home makes me proud.” Thanks to Wells Fargo and Trellis, Deborah can once again see her dream come true.
You too may be able to qualify for NeighborhoodLIFT assistance — up to $7,500. Find out now.