Education and Support Key to Buying an Affordable Home in Andover
Buying a home is hard and the tight housing market has made things even more difficult. In Andover, as in many communities, house-hunting can be a full-time job.
“I never thought it was going to be possible to own a condo in Andover”
In the fall of 2020, Haydee jumped into this tight housing market looking for a home to buy. Haydee is a licensed biology teacher in Lawrence where she has worked for 6 years, and knows the value of education both to create a career as well as to learn how to get stuff done—like buying a house. She knows the value of a stable home, having lived and rented in many places and for many years. As a single professional mom, she wanted to find a home where she would have a shorter commute to work, where her daughter would have the opportunity for an excellent education and where they could feel safe and stable as a family.
She took a first-time homebuyer training course, which shared a lot of information in a short timeframe about building good credit, saving for a downpayment, applying for a loan and maintaining a home. Many are offered by organizations such as Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership. In the midst of the pandemic and pre-vaccines, Haydee did her house hunting online. When she found an affordable home on the ACT website, there were a lot of steps to follow and a lot of communication among the bank, the lawyer, the seller and others. “It was so helpful to have Denise [ACT Executive Director] as someone who could walk me through the process,” Haydee shared. “She was the person that explained everything when I wasn’t sure who to ask or how to respond. She was always available, often responding when I emailed her at night after work.”
Haydee knew housing in Andover is very pricey, saying, “I never thought it was going to be possible to own a condo in Andover." Then a bank loan officer that she met through the homebuyer class told her about CHAPA and the state’s affordable housing programs and that she would qualify for an affordable home. She did her own research, figured out what was available and realized that she needed to get educated as a first-time homebuyer. As a full-time teacher and full-time mother, Haydee worked hard to make time to find and work through all the steps to secure the house.
One of ACT’s services is supporting low and moderate-income families in finding affordable homes in Andover. Denise explained that “ACT maintains a ready buyers list signup to make buyers aware of available units, and posts on social media when there are resales, or new rental units. A vital part of our community are teachers, grocery clerks, secretaries, dental assistants, and other lower wage earners who serve the community and want to live in Andover. Folks can check out our website to stay up-to-date.”
“Folks who are looking for a home to buy should get themselves prepared,” Haydee recommends. “Just take it step-by-step, it’s doable. You need to be educated on the home buying process and if you’re not, get educated!”
