103 W. Franklin and 107 W. Franklin
June 9, 2022 at 3:00 pm
The first two houses in the DeLand neighborhood are finished! The buyers are in the process of getting their mortgages to purchase their respective houses. We’re ready to welcome them home!
We’re holding a home dedication ceremony on June 9 at 3:00 pm. The ceremony will last less than an hour. You’re invited to join us and help us kick off a bright future for these two families.
By the time Habitat Family Partners reach this point, they’ve put in many months of hard work. It typically takes one to two years of diligently working toward the goal of homeownership to become a Habitat homeowner. Habitat provides the coaching and access to resources. The buyers do the rest.
Examples of things these buyers have done to get to this point of purchasing and moving into their homes are:
Financial counseling. This sometimes takes the most time. We work with buyers to understand and become ready to qualify for a mortgage.
Homeowner education. During the counseling process, Habitat buyers learn more about the differences between homeownership and renting. They are provided a mentor who has walked the path before. And they’re taught the necessary tasks to maintain their home for years to come.
At least 300 hours of volunteer time. We call this “sweat equity.” These hours can be filled in a number of ways, the most important of which is helping to build their own houses. They can also help work on other houses, volunteer in the ReStore, help with administrative tasks, and even volunteer with other community agencies. They can also enlist family and friends to help them fulfill this requirement.
Habitat Partner Families do all of this often while also working full time and being a single parent. The term, “blood, sweat, and tears” is relevant to how it feels for these buyers as they go through the process. They go above and beyond what other homebuyers do to ensure they’re successful as homeowners.
In addition to the hard work of the Habitat Partner Family, a lot of people have put in a lot of hours to get these houses built. Our community has come together in a big way to support this project and these buyers…. hundreds of volunteers, tens of thousands of donated dollars, thousands of dollars’ worth of donated items, and businesses throughout the community who have given time, lunches, and more…
For this reason, it is appropriate and even necessary for all of us to come together and celebrate a job well done. That’s what will happen next Thursday, June 9, at the home dedication ceremony.
We hope you’ll join us!