Partner Homebuyers Story – Aaron and Carmen

Aaron and Carmen’s Habitat story began in 2016. They were living in a rental home that had black mold, a leaky roof, an AC that didn’t work. The couple was also in constant fear of the landlord deciding to sell the house. They would have to find a new place to live.

We joined the homebuying program back in 2017. I heard about  Habitat and what they do from a school teacher. I went home and  talked to my husband, and we just went for it. To our surprise, they  said YES! We purchased our house in June 2018. 

The homebuying journey was the best experience of our lives. My  favorite memories in the program are the amazing people I met while  doing sweat equity hours. I also really enjoyed doing 80s music day  on Fridays. We also learned so much from the Tools for Life classes. I  learned how to have a garden, do home repairs, and so many other  things! Thanks to the Tools for Life classes, I was able to learn  interviewing skills, and I began working at a bank in Springfield in  February 2018. Those classes were a life saver. 

Working on the construction sites, my favorite job was laying the floor.  It’s so much fun to learn. It helped us when we replaced the  floor in one of our rooms. Another thing we learned was  how to maintain a water heater. We actually had ours quit  on us once, but thanks to the classes we fixed it! 

I have continued to be involved in my neighborhood, including being HOA Treasurer in Legacy Trails, helping  with neighborhood events, and distributing information to  my neighbors. A hope that we can bring the people in the  neighborhood closer together drives me to be involved. I  want to be able to have more get-togethers and just socialize. Being around people makes me happy! I enjoy  planning neighborhood events. I know most of my neighbors and have become super close to many of them. I  really enjoy reminiscing with them about when we all got  started and the whole process as we went along in the  homebuying program. 

Being a homeowner means EVERYTHING to me and my  husband. We never thought we would ever be able to own a  home of our own. It’s that feeling of knowing “This is ours.  We are home.”  We were actually proud to have Christmas at our house. We used to be embarrassed to have people over. Here, we can have our whole family together.

Homeownership has allowed us to open our doors to  others. Since being a homeowner, we can have pets now.  We don’t have to pay expensive fees for having cats. We also can  paint the walls any color we want. It’s a safe place to call home. The  mortgage payment is so much more affordable than any rent we have  paid. My husband and I have also sponsored a child through  Compassion International. His name is Ruben, and he is so  ADORABLE! 

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about applying at Habitat to  just DO IT! It does not hurt to try. If they say no at first, they let you  know what you can do so you can get a yes. They also connect you to  an advocate who stays with you and helps you through any tough  times or struggles along the way. They want you to succeed. 

Aaron and Carmen want other couples to know that this is possible for them and want to encourage everyone to “Just apply. You never know what will happen. It’s so worth it.”

By Carmen Lawrence 

Partner Homeowner