Homeownership Success Story

Portland Community Land Trust, Native American Youth and Family Center, HOST, and Siletz Tribe

With great persistence, dedication, and assistance from the Portland Community Land Trust, Native American Youth and Family Center, HOST, and Siletz Tribe, Yvonne Fish and her family have successfully purchased a new, energy efficient home in Portland, Oregon.

To begin the road to homeownership, Yvonne’s family attended home buying classes offered by the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA). This gave them a good foundation to work from, and understand the concepts of the home buying process. NAYA has partnered with the Portland Community Land Trust (PCLT) and Home Ownership a Street at a Time (HOST) to further assist families by allowing qualified participants to purchase their first home at a drastically reduced price. PCLT purchases the land and the buyer purchases the home, making the purchase price much more affordable. HOST, a non-profit corporation in Portland dedicated to providing home ownership opportunities for working individuals and families, had an available home that fit Yvonne’s needs- close to work, shopping and transit.
After going to classes, signing documents, viewing homes, making phone calls, and always watching their budgets to pay down bills, the Fish family was ready to close. Down payment assistance was provided by the Siletz Tribe to members residing in the Porltand area. Yvonne Messmer in the Siletz Salem Area Office recently interviewed the Yvonne Fish family about her experience.

1. I know there have been several partners involved in your transaction; can you tell me who they are?
   • Homestreet Bank- loan to purchase the home
   • HOST Development- built the new green home and provided $5,000 closing cost assistance
   • NAYA-homebuyer education and $70,000 down payment assistance
   • PCLT- transferred the home into the land trust and reduced purchase price
   • Confederation Tribe of Siletz Indians-$15,000 down payment assistance
     
     
2. I know your new home is brand new, can you tell me a little about it?
      The house has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms; there is 1 bedroom 1 bathroom downstairs, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs totaling 1636 sq. ft., including a utility (laundry) room upstairs. The house came equipped with a dishwasher, microwave oven, refrigerator, stove, and a gas fireplace. Best of all, it is totally green, meaning it is environmentally friendly and used energy efficient building materials.
   
   
3. Is your new home close to services and your work?
      It is great, even closer (in time) than my previous house. The TriMet bus stop is at the beginning of the street. I take one bus and the MAX. There is a major food store chain and drug store, plus an auto parts store and a gas station within a mile. Access to the 205 freeway is about 2 miles.
   
   
4. Was this a confusing process for you and your family? If so, was there help from your partners getting through the maze?
      Not so much confusing as it was overwhelming because you don’t realize all the things there are to do. Good tip is to make a list to help you remember and accomplish everything. I had enormous assistance from all partners involved in this achievement. They made countless calls and sent e-mails to one another which helped to accelerate the process significantly. I believe all partners formed a total support group; they were available any time to answer questions or to give direction/advice.
   
   
5. How long had you lived in your last home?
      Too long, 21 ½ years, without any improvements to the house in all those years from the owner. And to top it off rent went from $300 to $500 to $800 and finally $900 a month.
   
   
6. Are you glad you are now a homeowner?
      Actually thrilled would be a better word. It was like receiving a windfall or perhaps winning the lottery. One month you’re living in a house that leaks every time it rains, a basement that floods when it rains hard making it impossible to do laundry, plus one of the leaks goes right on the phone outlet. All four of us lived in a 2 bedroom house that had 1 closet and 1 bathroom. And then suddenly you’re moving into a brand new, never lived in 4-bedroom house, each with its own closet, 2 full bathrooms, and have a fenced community play area for the kids with benches and a picnic table. Timing is everything; I wouldn’t have believed a year ago I would be moving to a new home. I also am looking towards having more secure circumstances for years to come.
   
   
7. What do you consider the three best things about being a homeowner?
   1. Security knowing that this is my very own home, rent won’t be changing and I don’t have to be worried the landlords may ask me to move.
   2. Building a future for my extended family, and having equity, which will mean security.
   3. I can make changes to my home without consulting or getting permission from anyone.
      
      
8. If you could give others advice, what would be the three most important things to do before they start looking for a home to buy?
   1. Devise/Revise a budget for the entire family
   2. Pay off as much debt as you can.
   3. Start a savings account to put money away every month faithfully towards your future.
      
      
9. How important do you think it is for people to have good credit, pay their bills on time and live within their means?
      Extremely important, it should be your top priority if you want to be heading for a better life and security by moving towards the goal of owning a house. A good way to start is by comprising a list of priorities which focuses on how to achieve homeownership.
   
   
10. If you choose to sell this home and buy another one someday, do you think you and your family will feel comfortable and capable doing that?
       Absolutely, I have been given all the necessary tools through attending classes and involvement with knowledgeable people and Agencies that were there for me, I learned essential information and gained confidence in myself.
    
    
11. What was the first thing you and your family did when you got your new home? We set up house rules;
    1. Everyone needs to be responsible for picking up after themselves.
    2. We made a pact to share house duties such as dishes, laundry, clean the bathrooms, be sure to conserve energy by keeping the lights off if not using them, the doors/ windows shut so heating/cooling isn’t wasted.
    3. Made a list of all the things we had and needed at our new house that we didn’t have at the old house.

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