Home for the holidays
Last February, Michael and Johanna Dixon and their five children moved from a confined, cockroach-infested apartment to a renovated four-bedroom home with gleaming hardwood floors in north Minneapolis.
It wasn't until he got the keys and walked around the house a couple of times that Michael knew it was real: He and Johanna owned a home, a first in both of their families.
"I was just blown away," he said. "Owning a home is a big monument in my life."
The Dixons are one of the many families at home for the holidays this year with the help of the dozens of nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities.
They paid $190,000 for a house they bought through the Minneapolis Community Development Agency's Home Ownership Works (HOW) program, which makes rehabilitated homes available to buyers who meet income eligibility requirements.
To increase their buying power and help make their mortgage payments more affordable, the Dixon's took advantage of first-time home-buyer financing. The HOW program provided a $30,000 deferred mortgage that doesn't have to be paid back for 30 years or until they sell their home.
Since moving in, life has changed for the Dixons. They have the space to entertain family and friends, which they plan to do during Christmas. They're actively involved with the block club, and they've made new friends, including their neighbor, "Miss Kathy," who bakes cookies with the kids and helped them decorate their bikes for the National Night Out parade in August.
"I can tell they have a sense of pride," Johanna said of her children. "To me, owning a house is like starting a foundation for wealth in our family."
It wasn't until he got the keys and walked around the house a couple of times that Michael knew it was real: He and Johanna owned a home, a first in both of their families.
"I was just blown away," he said. "Owning a home is a big monument in my life."
The Dixons are one of the many families at home for the holidays this year with the help of the dozens of nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities.
They paid $190,000 for a house they bought through the Minneapolis Community Development Agency's Home Ownership Works (HOW) program, which makes rehabilitated homes available to buyers who meet income eligibility requirements.
To increase their buying power and help make their mortgage payments more affordable, the Dixon's took advantage of first-time home-buyer financing. The HOW program provided a $30,000 deferred mortgage that doesn't have to be paid back for 30 years or until they sell their home.
Since moving in, life has changed for the Dixons. They have the space to entertain family and friends, which they plan to do during Christmas. They're actively involved with the block club, and they've made new friends, including their neighbor, "Miss Kathy," who bakes cookies with the kids and helped them decorate their bikes for the National Night Out parade in August.
"I can tell they have a sense of pride," Johanna said of her children. "To me, owning a house is like starting a foundation for wealth in our family."
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