Journeys to Homeownership: Tawanna Jefferson
In just about one year, former renter Tawanna Jefferson took the leap to become a first-time homeowner, marking the start of a comfortable, financially secure future her family. Her commitment to aligning her finances with her life goals inspired her to push past roadblocks and challenges, ensuring an all-around successful purchasing process. In this blog post, we'll talk about what motivates Toledo's newest homeowners to make the biggest investment of their lives as seen by Tawanna's impressive achievements.
From the start, one of Tawanna's most powerful motivators was her family.
"My kids inspired me. To do something for them, to leave something for my children, to own something that is mine..." she says.
Tawanna understands that homeownership can build her and her family's wealth through appreciation, equity, and tax benefits. As she pays off her mortgage, Tawanna's equity increases, helping her build her personal wealth while creating leveraging opportunities for her family in case of emergency or new adventures.
Another motivator that many of Toledo's first-time-homebuyers draw inspiration from is our community's abundance of resources that help them along their way. Toledo is ripe with nonprofits, lenders, banks, inspectors, and City-backed programs that all exist with the sole interest of helping homeowners achieve their dreams. Local homebuyers understand that they do not have to tackle a daunting purchase alone; there are helpers willing and eager to assist them. In fact, Tawanna was a lucky recipient of a special $10,000 prize at the City of Toledo's annual Homeownership Fair to be put toward her down payment. She also took advantage of NeighborWorks® Toledo Region's Homebuyer Education Workshop to receive a homebuyer's certificate to use as a portion of her eligibility for the City of Toledo's Down Payment Assistance Program. In all, Tawanna came away with thousands of dollars to support her down payment. Take it from her—there are many great opportunities to make home purchases achievable in Toledo. "If you don’t have a good support team, you’re gonna struggle." Tawanna says.
Another motivator to make a home purchase? An investment in a home in Toledo is an investment in our community. The greater our network of passionate advocates, the stronger our city can be.
"[The kids] are excited. It’s all ours; we don’t ever have to go anywhere. There’re excited. This is meant for me—to own my house...It’s a journey, but it’s worth it."
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