Mykeia and Aden attended a homebuying fair at PCC in 2003 or so, but at the time, they weren't quite ready to purchase a house.  They were young and wanted to see the world, so they traveled the world and eventually got jobs teaching in Korea.

They knew that they wanted to buy a house someday, though, so they kept their eyes open - even while living in Korea.  They put a bid in on a duplex that seemed like a great buy, but the whole process felt forced and eventually, the financing fell through.  The lender they were working with pushed them to sign documents without explaining what they meant and without keeping what was best for Mykeia and Aden in mind.  The Martins were relieved that that bid fell through because the value of the duplex has gone down dramatically.

Aden's coworker was participating in the Individual Development Account (IDA) program and encouraged him to sign up as well.  They got in just in time. 

As part of the IDA program, they were required to take the Financial Fitness class at the Portland Housing Center (PHC).  They felt comfortable that they already understood the credit process and about the importance of saving, but they still learned a lot during the class.  "The Financial Fitness class should be mandatory for everyone."  As a bonus, they made some close friends who were also taking the class.

PHC's Homebuying 101 class helped them learn more about the homebuying process so that when they went through it this time, they felt that they better understood what to expect.  They met a fabulous home inspector through the class who helped educate them about the problems of one particular "fixer upper" that was about to fall down, leading them to reevaluate whether that home was in their best interest. 

Another coworker mentioned the HOST development program to them and when they checked out a HOST neighborhood, they really liked what they saw.  Unfortunately, the economy made it difficult for HOST to continue to build homes for low-income families and they were forced to close their doors.  Mykeia and Aden found out about them just in time to purchase the last HOST-owned home.

The brand-new house they purchased is conveniently located and is a LEED certified gold home.  The cost of the utilities at their new house is much less than in their old apartment.  The neighborhood has a private park and the neighbors are very friendly.  Every third Saturday, someone hosts a potluck and over the summer they had a block party.  Best of all, the Martin's two dogs, Mocha and Coco, love the new house.  They felt right at home instantly.

       
Oregon #ML-4654  NMLS ID 268117