Atlanta mother of 3 gets dream home with help from Wells Fargo, NeighborhoodLIFT

By Yvette Caslin
Mar 22, 2013
8:15 pm

Committed to Communities home tour moves to historic Capitol View area on March 30: features grants to help purchase homes

Kingdra Brandon, a single mom of three, used to think about how nice it would be to have her own dream home as she delivered mail for the U.S. Postal Service. But no more.

“I had been struggling to save for a down payment,” she said. “I was starting to think the dream of buying a home was slipping out of reach until I heard about NeighborhoodLIFT. I bought my house thanks to LIFT. Now, when I deliver mail, I no longer dream about what it would be like to own a home. My family gets to live that dream everyday.”

Brandon lives in the historic Capitol View neighborhood, and others will get the chance to find their own dream homes in the area, possibly with help from NeighborhoodLIFT during the “Committed to Communities” open house event on Saturday, March 30.

The free, family-friendly house tour will feature homes in Capitol View and surrounding neighborhoods primarily in the southwest Atlanta 30310 ZIP code. Once plagued by high foreclosure rates and mortgage fraud, the zip code is on the rebound as homeownership rises. Capitol View, established over 100 years ago in 1912, is in the shadow of downtown Atlanta and borders the Atlanta Beltline.

Already, over 160 families have purchased homes in the city of Atlanta with $15,000 down payment assistance grants from the NeighborhoodLIFT program. Several million dollars are still available. Those qualifying must buy and live in a home in the city of Atlanta and meet requirements including a maximum income of 120 percent of the Atlanta area median income, which is $79,550 for a family of four.

This will be the second “Committed to Communities” event of 2013. The event is hosted by The Beltline Team of Morris & Raper Real Estate Consultants and EpiCity. The theme this year is “Resolution 2013 – Own It!” Brandon and her family are one of The Beltline Team’s success stories.

Those taking part in the March 30 event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. will find homes ranging from $35,000 to $225,000 in quaint communities filled with residents committed to strengthening and stabilizing their neighborhoods. Attendees will tour homes for sale, talk with builders, lenders, real estate professionals and housing counseling agencies, enjoy refreshments, and meet families who call these communities home.

Derrick Duckworth, a REALTOR® who started the open house events over two years ago, said, “The excitement I see in the eyes of interested buyers as they visit the ‘Committed to Communities’ homes and tour the neighborhoods is just priceless.” He continues, “To think we’re helping people to fulfill lifelong dreams of buying homes and build community in the process makes it all the more rewarding.” Duckworth is part of The Beltline Team of Morris & Raper Real Estate Consultants and EpiCity. Other participants are Resources for Residents and Communities (RRC), Invest Atlanta, Loan South Mortgage, Area West Realty, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership and Wells Fargo. RRC and Invest Atlanta are administering the NeighborhoodLIFT program, which was funded by Wells Fargo.

“Committed to Communities” will kick off at a home in the Perkerson Park area at 770 Deckner Ave., Atlanta, 30310 (intersection of Deckner and Beatie Avenues). Persons interested in attending the free March 30 event can register at www.CommittedtoCommunities.com. Registration is encouraged but not required.