Felecia Alexander purchased a home through Community Ventures’ Rural Rehab Program. A single mother and bartender, she came to Community Ventures for assistance after going through traditional lenders and not finding any luck.
“I started looking for a home in January 2018. I went to my personal bank and they told me I was a tip-based employee and single mother so I wasn’t able to get much of a loan at all. The bank offered me $80,000, which to buy a house isn’t a whole lot of money. After that, I found a seminar through Facebook that would educate you on the steps you needed to take to buy a home. This was exactly what I wanted to do so I called the phone number provided for the seminar and got started right away and that is also how I learned about Community Ventures and the programs they offer.” says Felecia.
In April 2018, Felecia started on her journey through CV’s Rural Rehab Program where qualifying individuals can find a home from one of the rural counties designated for the program. Community Ventures will purchase the home, provide the necessary renovations which can include new heating and cooling systems, roofing and trim, electrical systems and anything else that needs to be updated or improved. While making these renovations, the buyers may also be able to add new custom finishes to the home. This program wouldn’t be possible without the Kentucky Housing Corporation. KHC designates organizations like Community Ventures as Community Housing Development Organizations, which allows those organizations to offer the Rural Rehab Program to their clients.
Through the Rural Rehab Program, Felecia was able to purchase a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom home with a large backyard and patio. The house was built during the 1960’s and needed some upgrading due to some of its outdated features. Myron Agnew, CV’s Director of Property Management, worked closely with Felecia on the renovations for her new home and made many improvements including installing a new roof, updating tthe electrical system, completing insulation, adding new custom wallpaper finishing and more. “Myron really is amazing, it was awesome to have someone there that has that much experience. It’s hard to buy a house these days especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Having someone there with the expertise Myron had and that Community Ventures has in general made the whole process so much easier and not as scary”, says Felecia.
Felecia also advises new prospective homeowners to try to look at the bigger picture and try to not be blindsided by the look of a home because it can always be changed. She encourages not only looking at the small things such as wallpaper, color or finishes but look at size and space – things that may cost a lot more to change.
“Knowing that I have a place that is mine and I don’t have to ever worry about moving again unless I want to…I have that security, my son has that security. We are able to save money because we are paying a lot less for a mortgage than we were for rent. Now, we have something that is more stable than renting. Before, my son and I moved at least every two years. Now, not having to move anymore and being in the same place – it definitely not only makes it easier on me, but it makes kids feel more comfortable along with having a nice yard to play in.”
Community Ventures is proud to be able to provide Felecia and her son with a new home. Her persistence above all else is admirable because when doors seemed to keep closing, she continued to knock on others until she was able to achieve the dream on home ownership and give the gift of stability to her son.
“The experience was incredible. I think that anybody that has the opportunity to work with Community Ventures should. I would have never been able to buy a home especially the kind that I got without help from them. This has definitely made my family very happy.”
Contact us to learn more about our Rural Rehab Program!
| Photo | Title |
 |