Ms. Welch

first came to pre-purchase counseling after attending a Solita’s House First-Time Homebuyer Class in the fall of 2020 after first having dealt with a counselor no longer with the agency. The client had a goal of qualifying for down payment and closing assistance to buy the house she was presently living in that previously belonged to her late dad.

Ms. Welch had a significant barrier to overcome as her modest income had not allowed for the necessary savings needed to help with the purchase of a home. She was promptly identified as a good candidate to apply for the City’s Dare to Own the Dream Program and was assisted in applying for this needed assistance.

Since the property is located in the East Tampa footprint, she was also encouraged to apply for the ET CRA program which she did. The client also had modest credit scores and was counseled on proper ways to improve her scores. Also, a strict budget was agreed upon between the client and the counselor and she was provided with the necessary tools to follow a successful budget based on “needs vs. wants” and with the goal of adding to her savings.

The client followed the instructions properly and her credit scores improved greatly and are presently averaging in the 700 level. She also managed to save over $2,000.00.

Eventually, she was approved for "Dare to Own the Dream" (DARE) and ET CRA and is now scheduled to close on her home on December 9^th benefiting from both down payment assistance programs. As a result, she will now pay around $550 a month for her mortgage which is obviously less than the $600 a month she was previously paying for rent at the very same property.