- Video shows a recently renovated home in Fremont that was purchased to help build up inventory of affordable housing.
- Rebuilding Together is changing gears from its usual work of providing critical home repairs and renovations for low-income home owners. In the last year and a half they have been working on a new project, renovating a dilapidated home to sell to young professionals in search of affordable housing.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Collin Butte is like a lot of young professionals.
He is starting his life and looking for a place to settle down and unfortunately, like a lot of young folks in his position, he hasn’t had much luck.
“Ive been living in an apartment for three years and finding housing is pretty crazy. All of the houses I have looked at, other than this one of course, have been way out of my budget and price range,” said Butte.
That lack of affordable housing isn’t just challenging for young folks looking to put down roots but the city as well.
If folks like Collin can’t find a house, Fremont loses out on skilled professionals and tradesmen.
“You know you look down the road four or five years and they decide they want to buy a house and establish roots in the community. If there aren’t properties like this available they are moving elsewhere,” said Kirk Brown with Rebuilding Together.
So Kirk and Rebuilding Together came up with an idea.
Use grants and a low interest loan to purchase a home, flip it, and sell it at an affordable price to qualified applicants.
And they put a lot of work into the home they flipped.
“I am still amazed we didn’t find something living or dead. There was a hole in the roof it was in horrible condition,” said Brown.
A year and a half of work and $60,000 of renovations later, Rebuilding Together is finally ready to turn the keys over to Collin.
“It’s pretty incredible I still can’t quite believe it,” said Butte.
Collin was able to purchase the home at a reasonable $165,000, almost $100,000 less than the median home price in Fremont.
But it’s the little things that make a house a home and Collin’s mom came prepared, surprising her son with a cookie jar from his father who passed away years ago.
“This was broken, sitting down in the basement but I thought. This is the time it needs to be prepared, brought to his son and this seemed like the right time,” said Lori Butte.
