Success Story: Valeria Holguin

Valerie Holguin and her two children have always dreamed of having a home to call their own. Valerie longed for the stability that owning her own home would bring; she had been living in various apartments her whole life and wanted more for her girls. She began looking for a house in July 2012 and quickly realized that she would not be able to come up with the amount needed for a downpayment.

While researching different assistance programs on real estate websites she ran across the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Trellis. She was particularly interested in the Move-In Ready aspect of the program which would save her money when it came to purchasing new appliances. “All of the homes I looked at before would need a new fridge, microwave and lots of other little things,” said Valerie. “I was worried about how I could afford all of these new appliances on top of the downpayment. The Move-In Ready program made things so much easier.”

Valerie applied for the program through Trellis in early September and quickly found the perfect house. While she was waiting for approval, however, the house went off the market. She continued to look but none of the other homes were as perfect as the one she had originally wanted. Then, while looking through the approved listings, she saw that the house was back on the market. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Valerie. “I called up my agent to make sure it wasn’t a mistake and then immediately made my offer.” Valerie was approved for the home and closed in December 2012.

She paired the NSP downpayment assistance with the Neighborhood LIFT assistance which brought her mortgage payments down to a comfortable level. “I could have made the payments with just the NSP assistance, but pairing it with the LIFT assistance means that I can put a lot more money into savings,” said Valerie. Valerie couldn’t be happier with her new home. She is excited that her kids now have a backyard to play in and their own rooms, but more than anything they now have a stable place to call home.