As a 45 year-old woman working as a clerk in the Revenue Department for the City of Philadelphia, Kamilah knew she wanted to buy a house, but didn’t know how to get there. She started reaching out to area CDCs, but many were unresponsive. When she got in touch with Mt. Airy CDC, she was thrilled about the opportunity to take a first-time homebuyer workshop via Zoom as she didn’t feel comfortable attending class in person at the time. 

Kamilah had lived in West Oak Lane for a while but had never owned her own home before. She found our HUD-certified housing counselor Dana Frisby to be extremely helpful with regard to understanding the home-buying process and the available resources. 

“Ms. Frisby is a wealth of information. She’s very knowledgeable and attentive, and you can tell she really wants to help people. When I was making a budget, she made sure I included every little expense so I could get an accurate picture. She gave me very wise counsel.”

Not only that, her housing counselor was able to help her put all of the pieces of the puzzle together: “Ms. Frisby recommended everyone I worked with, from the realtor, to the mortgage broker–they all came through her.”

When Kamilah first started looking for a home, prices were very high in the aftermath of the pandemic. With the help of her realtor, she was able to find a house in a “sweet spot” that was right in her price range and was move-in ready. Kamilah’s home is a two-story, 3-bedroom brick row home just steps from Awbury Arboretum. She especially loves the brick fireplace and mantle in the living room. 

“My attitude going in was ‘I want a house and I want it now.’ But the Mt. Airy CDC program gave me perspective and helped me hone my patience for getting the best house for me.”

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