I’m delighted to share some good, local news – that you made happen. On Friday, June 18, 2020, Belinda Finley purchased the 5th Business Bungalow – a home we usually build every year with the support of our business community. Sixty one businesses and organizations joined together to raise $55,000 for this house, and the Adopt a Lot sponsorship was provided by our friends at Team Browne Keller Williams.
Belinda, who works as a Systems Courier for Mission Hospital, has been renting a modest one-bedroom apartment for her and her son since 1999. Making the most of the space, she turned a converted carport into a makeshift second bedroom, using a sheet for a door. It helped give her more space, but it came at a price with $400 heating bills being a regular part of her winter.
When Belinda was approved for her home purchase in September of 2019, she told us she longed to pay a mortgage instead of renting – and to have reasonable and predictable heating and cooling costs. As a Habitat homeowner, Belinda will say good-bye to the exorbitant electric bill, and hello to a bedroom with a door!
Belinda’s 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom townhome in Candler is certified energy-efficient through System Vision. Their low-cost guarantee means that her heating and cooling cost will not exceed $35/month. What will she do with those savings? She said, “The money I will be saving from having affordable heating, I can put into my savings account. That’s going to mean a lot to me.”
Her home took a bit longer than normal to finish, as we’ve never built in the middle of a pandemic. Without the help of our trusty core volunteers and our sponsoring business groups, building was slow. But yesterday she signed the documents tranferring ownership and moved into her 1296 square foot townhome in our Curry Court neighborhood. Belinda told us, “I love my townhome. It’s like a mansion! In the winter I may run up and down the stairs for exercise!”
Asheville Habitat for Humanity works hard to make sure that people in our community have safety, stability and self-reliance through affordable home ownership. It’s the way that most Americans build wealth, and we are happy to be part of that for our neighbors!
Thanks to all of the following businesses that help make this possible for Belinda (you can see the full list below). We really cannot do this work without your support.
If you’d like to learn more about this build, or inquire about sponsorship or future volunteer opportunities, please let me know! The pictures attached show Belinda in front of her home, doing a socially-distant closing in the parking lot with attorney Kate Madison of Roberts and Stevens, and Belinda getting a congratulatory hug from her mom!
With much gratitude,
Beth
With thanks to:
828 Family Pizzeria
828 Market
All Asheville Real Estate LLC
Asheville & Associates Real Estate
Asheville Brewers Alliance
Asheville Fence
Asheville Home Life
Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours
Asheville Staffing Resources
Asheville Yoga Center
Bankers Insurance
Bellwether Builders
Biscuit Head
BlackBird Frame & Art
Blue Ridge Orthodontics
CB&I
Champion Credit Union
Chiesa LLC
Community Foundation of WNC
Community Foundation of WNC
Culver’s of Arden
Dynamite Roasting Co.
Ginger’s Revenge
Hawthorne Residential Partners LLC
Hilti North America
Hop Ice Cream Café
Ivester Jackson BlackStream Christie’s
JAG Construction
Know Network Risk
Larsenson Land Holdings
LongHorn Steakhouse #5613
Maggie B’s
Mast General Store, Inc.
Maxlite, Inc.
MB Haynes Corporation
Milkco, Inc
Morosani Foundation
Mountain Brook Homes
Native Kitchen & Social Pub
New Morning Ltd.
Omni Grove Park Inn
Platinum Group
Posana Restaurant
Ray Funeral and Cremation Service
Rezaz
Sawhorse Restaurant
Silver-Line Plastics
Simply Home
Starks Financial Group
Steve Trehub Photography
Still Point Wellness
Summit Coffee
Suntrust Foundation
Team Browne – Keller Williams
Terminix Service, Inc.
Twin Hills Structures, PLLC
UpCountry Brewing
Heather Ward – Star House
Weichert Realtors Unlimited
White Labs
Wicked Weed Brewing
