A Mortgage-Free Christmas
After 17 Christmases in their Habitat home, Jose and Ana are giving themselves an extra-special gift this year: a fully paid mortgage. They stopped by
the Habitat office in early December to make their final mortgage payment on the Habitat home that they purchased back in 2000.
Now, they say, they are looking forward to some vacation time.
“We’re so excited not to have a payment anymore, it’s such a relief!”
In the nearly 18 years since they built and purchased their home, Jose and Ana have watched their five children grow into successful adults who have started their own families. With 22 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, holidays in that Martinez home are overflowing with joy. In fact, the holidays overflow quite literally for this family– to the outside of their house, that is.
With so many family members, the Martinezes have had to get creative to bring the whole family together. They set up a big tent in their yard where all of the children in the family eat first, and then the adults follow. Jose and Ana say it’s a highlight of their year, getting to see the whole family together at Christmas. The news of their mortgage payoff will bring a little extra cheer to this year’s celebration and give them one more reason to celebrate.
Funding their Futures
Jose and Ana are just one of 3 proud families who satisfied their mortgages this month, just in time for the holidays. In the nearly two decades that these partner families have dutifully made their mortgage payments each month, they have been part of the path to homeownership for so many other Habitat partner families. As part of the Habitat program, homeowner mortgage payments enter into a revolving fund, which helps to cover the costs associated with each new home that we build.
While homeowner mortgages make up an important funding stream for the work that we do at Habitat Collier, we can’t do it without generous people like you. We’re so thankful to all of the donors, volunteers, and supporters who offer their time, talent, and treasure to make sure that people in our community who are in need have a safe, decent home. Please consider making a year-end gift so that we can offer a hand-up to more families like Jose and Ana’s during the Christmas season and all year long.
