Fnu Amin and Fnu Florence Become First-Time Homebuyers in Charlottesville

Fnu Amin and Fnu Florence are pleased to be settling into their new home after working hard to make their dream a reality.  They moved to Charlottesville from Afghanistan two years ago, following friends and family who moved to the U.S. to create a better, more peaceful life.

Transitions

Fnu Amin, who worked in Afghanistan as a medical assistant and interpreter for the U.S. Army, got a job at UVa as a cardiology technician.  As they began to feel more settled in Charlottesville, the couple knew, , that their next step was to purchase a home. Fnu Amin started looking into different down payment assistance programs.  He learned a lot from his friends who qualified for similar programs and bought homes.  The idea of becoming homebuyers meant creating a foundation from which all other things would be possible in their lives.

Getting Help

They met with housing counselor, Virginia Leary, who laid out the requirements of qualifying for first-time home buyer assistance. She walked them through getting enrolled in the VHDA First-Time Homebuyer class and explained what is needed to become mortgage-ready. Fnu Amin said, “It was with Virginia’s encouragement that we were able to decide to move forward with this process. Everyone we worked with was just great and taught us so much.”  It took a little while for the couple to find the right home, but eventually they closed on a place they love in a neighborhood off of Rio Road. Now that they have a home, they are looking forward to starting a family soon. Fnu Florence said, “I can’t even express my feelings with words right now. I am so happy!”

They were able to purchase their home with down payment assistance that helps make monthly mortgage payments more affordable for low- and moderate-income home buyers. Piedmont Housing Alliance manages and administers these special loan funds for first-time home buyers, funded from sources such as the City of Charlottesville, local counties of Albemarle and Louisa, state HOME funds, and federal CDFI funds.

Fnu Amin is very thankful to his friends who referred him to Piedmont Housing Alliance and to Virginia, Marcella, and Yvette for all of their help through this process.  His advice to other potential home buyers is simply, “Make your life happy with help from Piedmont Housing Alliance!”