By Carrie Struss, March 17, 2020
I met Katie back in November of last year through a friend that gave her my info (Thank you Jane!). Katie is a young professional who was eager to stop renting and start building equity in a home of her own.
As timing would have it, I had just come out of a Living Room Realty sales meeting where fellow agent Alyssa Isenstein Krueger shared with us information about the NeighborhoodLIFT program available through the Portland Housing Center. The LIFT program provides eligible homebuyers with $20,000 in down payment assistance on qualified properties in Multnomah County. The program also provides homebuyer education to prepare buyers for finding and financing a home and for managing the financial responsibilities of homeownership.
The LIFT program is awarded on a first come, first served basis for qualifying individuals. The first step was to register for a time to apply. There was so much interest, the site crashed and many people were not able to apply. Katie spent that morning diligently refreshing her browser and was able to schedule her appointment for application. From there she was required to take an 8 hour homebuyer education course to receive her certificate of funds. The program required us to get into contract before 2/24 and close 3 weeks after receiving her certificate. During the process, there were many hoops to jump and schedules to negotiate.
With the help of the fabulous Tammy Wittren at Guild an approved lender through the program (who worked her butt off to get Katie approved and awarded the funds), the also fabulous co-broker and fellow Living Room agent Beth Bonita, and Katie’s diligence and compliance to the process, Katie received the funds and is now happily living in her new SW condo….
…WITH THIRTY PERCENTY EQUITY!
That’s right. 30%. With no money out of Katie’s pocket. That’s right, $0. In a sellers market, with low inventory and high demand, that kind of initial equity is almost unheard of. But with the LIFT program funds, magic timing, amazing team members, and a fortunately high appraisal, Katie will be sitting pretty on a heap of equity and peace of mind in these uncertain times.
Thank you all who contributed and made this transaction possible! Love to you all!
Carrie Struss
Broker | OR & WA
She/Her
Carrie brings eight years of experience as a Licensed Broker in Oregon and Washington, combining her industry expertise with an eye for detail honed through her degree in Commercial Photography...
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- T: 503-953-0850
- carrie@carriestruss.com
