Trude had been a homeowner three times over — but not in Pennsylvania, and not for a number of years. Unfamiliar with the landscape, she did a quick Google search when looking to purchase a home in Pennsylvania, and ended up at Community Progress Council.
Stability was the main goal for Trude and her husband, who had been renting a home for about five years in York County.
“We wanted to hunker down, set down roots,” she said. “We were blown away by the beauty of the area we were in, and we wanted to stay here.”
She signed up for Community Progress Council’s “Pathway to Homeownership,” a two-part workshop focused on preparing for homeownership and navigating the complex process of applying for a loan, working with a realtor, and moving through multiple the stages of homebuying. Taught by housing counselors certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Pathway to Homeownership also helps prospective homeowners prepare for post-purchase expenses and consider future needs and investments a home may require.
Trude was impressed with both the amount and the depth of information provided.
“They were so well informed, so patient with and respectful of the questions that the attendees had,” she said.
In between and after the workshops, the Housing & Financial Education team held her accountable with monthly check-ups.
“Initially, it felt a little intrusive,” she laughed. “But one of the best things about the way this program works with CPC is that you’re held accountable for your spending habits, your credit score.
“And you really do need that accountability. Someone to say, ‘You said that this is what you want, so we want to help you.’”
The workshops and counseling also helped Trude understand the nuances of how to best use credit, and how lenders view credit card debt.
“The way I had been brought up, the only thing to be concerned about with credit cards was to pay them off,” she said, but never a focus on using 30% or less of your total credit limit in order to increase the chances of lender approval.
With a new frame of reference, she made some changes to her credit usage.
“That just revolutionized my financial picture,” Trude said. “As a result of that, I was really seeing my credit score soar.”
Armed with the right information and tools, Trude and her husband entered the housing market as prospective buyers.
In the end, it took them a year to find their home, and it happened just as Trude felt like giving up.
“I had just been so weary in the process,” she said. “[But] the day I put money down on another rented townhome, I looked once more online.”
A property caught her eye, and she asked her realtor to contact the seller’s agent for a showing of the property.
“I put the offer in that day; the rest is history,” she laughed.
At 2,000 square feet, it has ample space for their needs, including a home office for Trude in the basement that looks out onto a walk-out patio.
“It’s in an area that, across the street is nothing but fields, so it’s very quiet, very natural,” she said. “This is just my haven, exactly what I was hoping for.”
For Trude, owning her home provides the stability that she was looking for. But she says it also anchors her identity — and two months after move-in, she’s already submitted her application to become a Board member in her homeowner’s association.
“I’m just very grateful,” Trude said. “That I could even have the option to own a home. I know that what I have, it started with my parents’ investment in me and others’ investment, as well.”
In Trude’s classes, she sat alongside some participants who had already applied for their loan, some like her who had owned homes before but not in Pennsylvania, and others looking for the right place to start.
“I signed up and thought, ‘OK, I know what it’s like.’” Trude said. “[But] there was a real sense that nobody’s better than anybody,” she said. “It opened up my eyes in ways I didn’t even imagine.”
Now, she encourages others to go through CPC’s Pathway to Homeownership program — especially as a family.
“All the information was laid out on a foundational basis,” she said. “This is where you’re starting, this is where you can go, but keep in mind there are some land mines. They are not meant to dissuade you from homeownership but to make you aware of how to get and keep your home.”