As one chapter closes, another opens for Nuha, Ali, and their two children. From the love of their home, the gratitude for the homeownership opportunity, and the success they found in the 7 years they lived there, Nuha recounts their time as Habitat homeowners as they sell their Habitat home for something bigger.
“We were very excited to own our first home,” Nuha said. “We lived in a small apartment before, and the kids had to share a bedroom. Although they were only in elementary school, it was just too small. With the new house, they could each have their own rooms and make their spaces their own.”
Nuha says that Habitat was the right fit for their family because the program supported them as first-time homeowners. From financial literary courses to offering an affordable mortgage and down payment, she says Habitat was a perfect match.
“We could now have a backyard for the kids to play in, a garage for my husband to work in, and a home large enough to fit us all,” said Nuha. “We had some great memories, from birthday parties to celebrations in the backyard. I’m really going to miss our home.”
On top of the benefits of owning their own home, Nuha says working with Habitat taught her and her husband to pride themselves in maintaining their own space.
“It was our goal to take good care of the house because we know it's our home and we have to take care of it,” Nuha said. “The big challenge was keeping everything up to date, like the AC, the water heater, the lawn, the house color, all of that, but it was nice being good and dependable.”
Now, Nuha’s children are all grown up. With a daughter studying biology at Boise State University and a son finishing high school at Renaissance, Nuha and her family are ready for a larger space for their family to thrive in. Through the home equity of owning their own home through Habitat, this is a possibility for their family.
When asked what advice Nuha would give to other families going through Habitat’s homeownership program, she said considering financials was important for her and her family.
“It’s a big step to own your own home,” Nuha said. “It was a big move for our family. So, I would consider budgeting and preparing for new things to come up, some good, some bad. It’s a very good opportunity for anyone.”
Thanks to Nuha and Ali’s hard work, another deserving family can now enjoy their own home. When a homeowner is ready to sell their home, Habitat has the first right of refusal on buying back the home, helping to bolster the affiliates’ inventory and ability to help more hard-working families through homeownership.
“I'm very grateful and thankful that I found out about Habitat,” Nuha said. “It was amazing to be part of this program for all these years. The house served my family tremendously, and we learned a lot from being a homeowner.”