We are excited to welcome 2 new staff members to our team, as well as a new member of the Board of Directors.

Marcelino Soliz, the newest staff addition, joined us as Fiscal Manager on April 1 overseeing fiscal operations and managing the accounting staff. Marcelino has been in the accounting field since 1970, and has had a variety of experiences in the non-profit and government sectors, including Senior Accountant for The Confederated Tribes of The Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Senior Accountant for the Area Agency on Aging in Kauai, Hawaii, and most recently serving as Fiscal Manager for over 400 Homeowner Associations in Oregon.


Jason Scott joined Portland Housing Center in February, 2010. Jason formerly worked with Wells Fargo Financial as a Credit Manager in both Portland and Oklahoma City. Jason is the current president of the Urban League of Portland Young Professionals and board member of the Urban League of Portland. Both organizations aim to empower African Americans and other under-represented communities. Jason is in training at Portland Housing Center to become a licensed loan originator.

 
Lisa Bates, PhD is a new Portland Housing Center board member. An Assistant Professor of Urban Studies at Portland State University, her interests lie in the connection between housing and neighborhoods, with a focus on the opportunities of low-income residents and people of color.  Professor Bates has worked with the Portland Housing Center on focus groups with African American homebuyers and homeowners and helping to analyze customer trends.

Travis began his quest to own a  home two years ago. Paying rather  expensive rent in Portland, he felt  that he would rather be putting that  money toward something he would  eventually own.  Taking the Portland  Housing Center Financial Fitness  and HomeBuying 101 classes, Travis felt the instructors gave him a realistic expectation of what the home buying process would be like and how much he could really afford.  He also learned about the Individual Development Account (IDA) program, that would end up making a big difference toward his down payment.  He moved to a less expensive apartment in Tualatin and started saving money. 
 
When Travis reached is savings goal, the tax credit for first time homebuyers had started, and he figured that it was time to buy.  He found a realtor who was really good about continuing to educate him and who provided regular communication.  "You need to surround yourself with a good team who communicate with you and with each other." 
 
As a self-employed graphic designer, Travis faced many hurdles when it came time to finding a mortgage; he found that lenders were a bit skittish about loaning money to someone with an unpredictable income.  As he was about to close on his house, the lender hesitated and almost put an end to the sale.  Travis called his HomeBuying Specialist at Portland Housing Center who made a call to the lender and the sale finally went through.  "It really helped to have the staff at Portland Housing Center make that call for me."
 
Travis says he feels a sense of pride and accomplishment.  His house is a great starter home with a big backyard for his dog and room to add on sometime in the future.  He looks forward to exploring his neighborhood and meeting more of his neighbors. Travis's advice for people who are thinking about buying a home is to "ask questions!" Portland Housing Center was a great resource for finding information and for finding out what is "normal" in the home buying process.  Portland Housing Center helps set realistic expectations. Buying a home is stressful, so you need people around you who know what they are doing and who will communicate with you.