Welcome Home, Jaquawna!

Each year, Origin SC helps hundreds of people find a place to call home. Many of our clients never before thought that they would have the opportunity to own a house. We are so excited to welcome Jaquawna and her daughter into their new home.

Jaquawna started out in our credit coaching program. By persisting toward her goal, she continued into our homeownership program and closed on her house just in time for summer. Read more below:

I first knew I wanted to buy a home when my rent continued to increase every year. I would think to myself, “It has to be cheaper to own a home.” I felt like the amount of money that I was paying out every month should have been spent on something that I could call my own. 

 I'd always dreamed of buying a home but as a single mother, I didn’t think it would be financially possible for me. I originally came to Origin, formerly known as Family Services Inc. because I heard an ad on the radio in 2012 about classes to help with budgets and credit. I learned so much that I didn’t know before in these classes. I wondered why this stuff wasn’t taught more in depth in high school. I began to apply this new knowledge to my life.It wasn’t until I took advantage of the opportunity to meet with a counselor on a one-on-one basis that I truly considered pursing my dream. Mrs. Revena Dawson worked with me to create a plan for my goal. With her help, I began to budget my money, build my credit and save for a home. I felt like giving up sometimes when unexpected expenses popped up or there wasn’t enough money to make ends meet or build my savings. But Mrs. Dawson continued to encourage me and guide me in the right direction. I will never forget those times when she would review my bank statements with me and showed me the reality of my spending habits. She believed in me and worked with me to help me believe for myself that becoming a homeowner was an achievable and affordable goal. So I pushed harder toward my dream for my daughter and me.

I learned so much about the home buying process. It was not as complicated as I originally thought. I learned what lenders were looking for in an applicant, how much house I could afford, and why it is important to have your home inspected prior to purchase. I enjoyed the homeownership class with Mrs. Debbie Kidd.  Origin made the process easy to understand and reduce a lot of the stress associated with the home buying process.

On the day that Mrs. Dawson told me that I was ready to begin apply to lender, I couldn’t believe it! All the hard work had paid off. When I began receiving responses from lenders, it was unbelievable how affordable my mortgage was in comparison with the rent I was paying.  Again, Mrs. Dawson was right there for me, helping me weigh the pros and cons on each option. Once I decided on a product, it was time to look for homes. Location, Location, Location is everything. I viewed several homes but I knew exactly when I had found “the one.” It was in my preferred school district and located within an acceptable distance from work. It had the right amount of bedrooms and space. And my mortgage wouldn’t be far from what I was paying for a one bedroom apartment!! My agent put in me in for it but unfortunately it went to another applicant. I was crushed but I kept searching. My agent calls me up one day to tell me that the sale fell through and my perfect home was back on the market. I jumped on it immediately and on April 29th, 2017. I signed my closing documents and became a very proud first time home buyer. My daughter and I absolutely love our new home.  We will forever be grateful to Mrs. Revena Dawson and Origin for helping us turn a dream into reality.

If you or someone you know is interested in buying a home but doesn't know where to start, click here or call 843.735.7802 to learn more about our homeownership and credit coaching programs!