Three years ago, William and Rachel Fish lived in a small apartment with their two children, Jessica and Jacob.  When Rachel became pregnant with their third child, Lindsay, they got serious about buying a home.  Already crowded,  with the coming baby, they  needed a way to find a home that was big enough to accomodate their growing family yet affordable. 

Like so many working Tompkins County families, they were facing the possibility of having to live farther away and commute into the County to work.  Their human services jobs bring them a lot of satisfaction - Rachel, works with families in the Head Start program and William is a residential counselor  with Glove House - but not a lot of means to afford a high mortgage.  “There was no way we could have done this without Better Housing”, William told us.

The couple worked on reducing their debt, but were still doubtful of their chances at buying a home.  Then they met with Rosie Zifchock , our housing programs manager.  “She gave us hope”, Rachel said.  The couple searched for a home for six months before finding their modest ranch home in a quiet Lansing neighborhood.  “It was perfect”, William recalls, “good neighborhood, in the school district we wanted, didn’t need many repairs”.  When it came on the market, they were one of seven potential buyers, and they were afraid the chance would slip away.  Luckily, the sellers took to the young couple.  “We couldn’t even afford their asking price, but they canceled the rest of their showings anyway”.  The older couple loved the idea of another generation of children growing up in the home.  A year later, the Fishes are still in contact with them.

The transition to ownership has been fairly smooth.  Bob Hunt , our construction manager, did a pre-purchase inspection with William and Rachel.  He reviewed the systems and basic maintenance with them, and gave tips on things they could do to increase energy efficiency.

The personal attention, education and financial assistance has proved to be a winning combination for the Fish family and many others we have helped.  Best of all, they will be able to raise their children in Lansing and enjoy an easier commute to work.  “If it wasn’t for Better Housing, families just starting out could not survive and own real estate in Tompkins County”, William told us.  “I recommend Better Housing to families all the time”, Rachel added.