Success Story: Having a Second Set of Eyes Pays Off
After years of renting, Cymone decided she didn’t want to spend her money paying rent anymore. She had savings, and she was encouraged by her family to explore homeownership. “They said, ‘you’re more prepared than you realize,’” she recalls.
Turns out they were right.
Some of her family members had previous experience with real estate and knew about HomeFree-USA’s work. They suggested that Cymone meet with Homeownership Advisor Alfreda Williams.
Alfreda advised her on what she should look for in a lender and guided her as she explored her options. Cymone ultimately chose Citibank to finance her mortgage.
Alfreda also looked over Cymone’s paperwork to make sure everything was going smoothly. Having a second set of eyes go over her documents before she signed them proved beneficial to Cymone. In fact, Alfreda caught a couple of discrepancies in the paperwork that had been previously overlooked. “Alfreda was able to give me an unbiased perspective. She was able to look at something and say, ‘this is not accurate,’” Cymone says.
Cymone also believes that Alfreda’s involvement in the process caused the other mortgage professionals she had to deal with to take her more seriously.
In addition to connecting her to her mortgage team and offering guidance, HomeFree-USA also helped Cymone identify first-time homebuyer programs she could benefit from. In the end, Cymone qualified for funding that she put toward her downpayment, which meant she could keep more of her savings in the bank.
Being a homeowner means Cymone gains equity and increases her wealth every time she makes a mortgage payment. “I’ve never been excited to pay a bill in my life, but I was excited to pay the mortgage for the first time,” Cymone says. “It’s not like you’re just wasting your money. It’s a payment to yourself.”
