Blessings & Well Wishes Belton Family!
Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County’s newest homeowners, Kelsey & Ransom Belton, recently celebrated their home dedication. Their family has such a heartwarming story. As long-time renters, Kelsey and Ransom were actively working towards their homeownership goal. It was their dream to own a home of their own someday. The married couple’s strong motivation to accomplish this goal stemmed from wanting to provide a comfortable, affordable, spacious home for their children. Kelsey and Ransom have three beautiful children; Sophia (12), Jordan (11), and Eli (10). The Belton family’s current residence was not an unpleasant place to live, but the family had outgrown their apartment.
“Our kids are growing so fast,” said Kelsey, “we wanted to give them a space of their own.”
Before entering the Habitat Monroe homeownership program, the Belton’s were in the early stages of gaining homeownership knowledge. They intently researched loans, decided their financial capabilities, and even began to look at at potential houses. The family had not made a final homeownership plan yet, when they learned about the Habitat homeownership program. A family member had shared a post about the program through their social media. The Belton’s had previous knowledge of Habitat for Humanity Monroe, even having family and friends that had worked personally with our program. However, they weren’t aware of the homeownership program that is offered.
“I was so excited to learn about all of the opportunities that Habitat offers to the community,” said Kelsey.
This promising opportunity encouraged Kelsey and Ransom to take a leap of faith, and apply for their own Habitat home. As many know, the process of homeownership is not an easy one, especially in today’s real estate market. Kelsey explained that “as a family of 5, it is very difficult to be able to save the money that you will need to purchase a beautiful home.” Habitat Monroe came along at just the right time on their journey. The Habitat homeownership program was a great fit for their family, and for their circumstances. The Belton’s were very proactive and prepared, and were swiftly approved into the Habitat homeownership program.
The Habitat for Humanity homeownership program requires that all potential family partners save a $1,000 down payment for their home, attend educational home maintenance and finance workshops, and complete sweat equity hours. Kelsey and Ransom both have local jobs here in Monroe County. Kelsey works as a Deli Clerk at our local Kroger, and Ransom works as a Machine Operator for Bay Corrugated Container. The homeownership program requires all family members over the age of 18 to complete a total of 200 sweat equity hours. 100 of these hours must be completed on the Habitat build site. The married couple finished their hours in record time while working jobs and taking care of their family.
“This program was fun and educational,” said Kelsey, “I loved going to the build site, working with Ken and Jim, and watching it all come together.”
Kelsey has great advice for those pursuing homeownership: She recommends to “be patient, be diligent, and most importantly be realistic. Use every resource available to help you find exactly what you’re looking for, in a way that fits your family and your budget. Financial planning is key to deciding what your options are.”
After all of the dedicated work Kelsey and Ransom have put into this program, their dream has become a reality. Habitat Monroe is so excited for this wonderful family to embark on their new homeownership journey. Kelsey, Ransom, Sophia, Jordan, Eli, along with their cat Daisy, are even more ecstatic to live in a space that will accommodate their family comfortably!
