DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — After many years of renting, Latisha Moss longs to buy her first home.
The 46-year-old security firm supervisor thought home ownership was out of grasp. Now she’s brimming with optimism.
“I know it’s within reach now, I know I have a chance now,” she said while attending an Achieve the Dream event hosted by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, or NACA. “I felt like I had a battle with life, like I’m not going to ever be able to afford a home. Now I know I can.”
That’s because NACA, a Housing and Urban Development-approved nonprofit, provides mortgages with no down payments, no closing costs and no credit checks.
It also offers a below-market interest rate, which is now just under 5.4%. The organization is open to all, but its focus is on low-to-medium income earners.
About 8,000 are expected to attend the free event, which includes homebuying workshops, financial counseling and meetings with mortgage specialists.
To attend, you’re encouraged to bring proof of income, tax forms and bank statements. It’s underway from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Gallery at South DeKalb.
Moss is among those eager to make memories – and take pride in – a home she can call her very own.
“I want to have a yard,” she said. “I want to plant me some flowers. I want to have a big backyard for my grandchildren. That’s important.”
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Organizers of Achieve the Dream say those struggling to buy their first homes have hope.
Bruce Marks founded NACA in 1985 and has provided home financing for more than 75,000 families. He said home ownership generates wealth for families and makes communities more vibrant and safer.
“It stabilizes neighborhoods,” he said. “The most effective crime fighter is a homeowner who’s going to protect their home and their community.”
These days, corporate investors are buying up homes and outbidding aspiring homeowners, driving up housing costs.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said 51% of homes in the southern half of the county are owned by corporate landlords, and 70% of code violations occur at home that are not owner occupied.
“So for us, we have a vested interest in home ownership because these are communities that are legacy communities in many instances,” she said. “They need individuals who are present. We need the care of the community.”
John Peterson, 31, is volunteering at the three-day event at the Gallery at South DeKalb.
He bought his first home through NACA financing. In October, he and his 8-year-old daughter Soriya moved into their five-bedroom, three-bath house in DeKalb County.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “When we first got into the house, me and my daughter played hide and go seek. That’s a memory that will forever last with me.”
He said when he first learned of NACA, it sounded “too good to be true.” But he said the process went quickly, and the lack of a down payment and closing costs were a considerable boost.
“I worked really hard to save up what I could, because I had home ownership on my mind,” he said. “I just knew I needed the money.”
Rising home costs and mortgage rates and a limited supply of housing have made home ownership elusive for many people.
Home costs in metro Atlanta are nearly 56% higher than six years ago, according to the Georgia Multiple Listing Service. It reports that the median cost of a home in the region was $389,900 in February, a 5% jump from the month before.
The region has been tough for many renters. Channel 2 Action News reported in February that a Princeton University study show metro Atlanta has the highest number of evictions in the country, with more than 144,000 in the previous 12 months.
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