Success in Miami Springs

For Alicia H., the opportunity to purchase the home she had been renting for many years was a dream come true, not just because it offered stability for her family, but because it proved to her that doing the right thing really does pay off.  

For ten years, Alicia, her partner and their three sons lived in the rental home, maintaining it as if it were their own. They took special care of every inch of the property, including the yard and the lovely patio the family enjoyed using. Renting, with the ever-present risk of lease termination, was not the family’s first choice, but it was what they could afford. 

Alicia was surprised, then, when her landlord offered it to her to purchase. And he was so impressed with how meticulously Alicia had cared for the property that the negotiation went very smoothly. The only thing remaining was for Alicia to qualify for a home mortgage.  

 After an unsatisfactory experience with a conventional bank, where Alicia encountered barriers to getting a mortgage loan, she turned to Self-Help Credit Union right in her community of Miami Springs, Florida. Working with mortgage officer Geannina Hiraldo, Alicia found the guidance she needed. Geannina worked closely with Alicia to explore every available option to support the purchase and smooth the process, making possible Alicia’s dream of purchasing the home that held so many of her family’s memories.

Self-Help’s mission of creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all comes alive in a variety of ways. In Alicia’s case, it was simply getting to own the home she had been renting. It took a thoughtful landlord, and some careful work on the part of our mortgage lending team at our Miami Springs branch in Florida, but it worked. And our Miami Springs branch had reason to celebrate too – this was the first mortgage loan closed out of the branch. They’re looking forward to many more.