From First-Time Homebuyers to Real Estate Investors: One Couple’s Journey to Success
When Trinita learned that the rent would be going up in her family’s apartment and they would be responsible for paying for water and trash removal, that was the final straw. She knew that the family would have to put renting behind them.
She told her husband Chris that it was time to put their homebuying plans on the front burner. “There were more inconveniences to being in the apartment than there were advantages,” she recalls. “On top of that, our kids were getting bigger — we were starting to outgrow it. I was like, ‘We need to do what we have to do.’”
Luckily they had a good idea of where to start. Trinita and Chris turned to HomeFree-USA where they worked with Homeownership Advisor Gary Plummer. Gary listened to their goals and helped them put together a plan to achieve them.
Not only did Gary help the couple to become mortgage-ready, but he connected them with Jan Vega Rivera of CNC Mortgage. The couple’s homeownership dreams were finally taking shape.
However, there were some complications. As any first-time homebuyer will tell you, buying a house can be overwhelming. When you’ve never done something before, you often don’t know what you don’t know.
“I was, for the most part, learning as I went,” Chris admits. “So Gary was really instrumental in walking me through the path and letting me know when things weren’t right and when things were on point.” The financial education they received from HomeFree-USA also helped them to feel more comfortable when dealing with other professionals involved in the process such as their realtor and lender.
When necessary, Gary also served as an intermediary between the couple and their lender, ensuring that paperwork was received and the transaction closed in a timely manner. “He was really instrumental in setting up a meeting and just helping push things forward throughout the entire process,” Chris says.
With their first real estate-related goal achieved, the couple is now preparing to buy an investment property. Their new goal is to create another stream of income that can help them to build generational wealth. Once again, they are looking to HomeFree-USA to guide them along the way.
“Any time our faith would waiver, Gary would help us keep going and encourage us not to give up,” Chris says. “Just having HomeFree-USA walk with us got us through the process. You couldn’t put a price on it.”
