Future homeowner Margarita said what she’s most looking forward to about purchasing her Habitat home is the additional time it will allow her to spend with her family.
The wife and mother of two works full-time as a financial aid analyst for a local medical college during the week and extra on the weekends to cover ever-rising rent and insurance costs. She became the family’s breadwinner after her husband of 20 years, Richard, was diagnosed with a muscle disorder and was no longer able to work.
She said the affordable mortgage her family will pay after purchasing their Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County home will allow her to work less and spend more time with her husband and their two children, ages 19 and 10.
“I’ll have more time to be home and not just be working, working all the time,” Margarita said.
Park Square Blitz 2024
Margarita and Richard’s home will be built in Pine Hills during this year’s Park Square Homes Blitz. It is builder Park Square Homes’ 10th time donating their time and materials to build a Habitat home for the annual event.
Margarita and Richard, who are both pastors, said the work by Park Square Homes is a true blessing.
“I want to thank Park Square Homes for all that they’re doing,” Margarita said. “I am not a contractor or a builder, but I do know a little bit about building a spiritual home. So, I want to thank them for building our foundation. I know a home needs a foundation and that’s the most important thing because if there’s not a foundation, things start to fall apart. I thank them the bottom of our hearts.”
Journey to Homeownership
The couple previously owned a home in Chicago, but they sold it and moved to Florida after doctors advised that the warmer weather would help improve Richard’s health.
Since moving to Orlando during the pandemic, Margarita said the family of four has been spending more on rent than they ever did on their mortgage for substantially less space. Richard started looking into how the couple could purchase a home, and quickly realized housing prices across most of Orlando made that unattainable. Then, he found Habitat and marked their calendar to apply the moment homeownership applications opened.
Richard said it’s hard wanting to provide his family but being forced to step back from the workforce due to his condition. He said purchasing this home will help him feel like he’s able to provide for his family again.
“As a man you want to provide what they call the American Dream, living in your own house and providing for you children, and having this opportunity with Habitat for Humanity and Park Square Homes just brings that dream back to us,” Richard said.
Cultivating Peace & Legacy
Now with their application approved and their home under construction, their son and daughter are very much looking forward to each having their own rooms again.
“Having a bigger space everyone will have their own room, so when someone wants to go to bed, they can go to their own room and close the door. It means we’ll have a lot more peace,” Margarita said.
Margarita said she’s also looking forward to the legacy that their Habitat home will provide for their family. It’s something tangible that will be left for their children after they’re gone, building generational wealth.
“With the house, we’ll not just be creating memories but also we are paying into something that in the future can benefit our children if we pass away or if we want to sell,” she said.
Margarita said she also hopes their journey to homeownership will serve as an example to their children that while life can throw you curveballs, like their father’s health complications, they can still overcome them to do great things.
“Achieving homeownership, I believe, will bless my children because they will see that no matter the obstacles they face in life, it doesn’t mean they can’t achieve a goal,” she said.
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Learn about Homeownership: Habitat Orlando & Osceola offers energy-efficient three- or four-bedroom homes, customizable options, and affordable mortgages. Learn more >>
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