Housing Services:
Home Buying Success Stories: Jaimi Coward

By JAN BEHRS
The Oregonian

Jaimi Coward's rental house was small and by her own description "crummy." But the landlord was pleasant and willing to rent to her even though her roommate, Jazmina, is a Rottweiler.

"It was so hard to find a place that would take a dog," Coward, 32, said. "The way I found this house was I was walking with my friend and we saw this guy putting up a 'For Rent' sign in front of it. We stopped and talked with him, and even though he didn't want to rent to someone with a dog, he liked Jazmina. We started talking about Habitat for Humanity, where I work, and he'd been a volunteer. So, I got the house."

That was a little more than two years ago. But renting for the rest of her life was really not what Coward had in mind.

She didn't consider buying her 1920-built rental at first, either. But that's what she ended up doing, using a purchase-with-renovation loan through the Portland Development Commission to pay for remodeling. Loans to fix up city of Portland fixer-uppers are available both to first-timers and other buyers.

Coward, who grew up in Texas, moved to Portland about seven years ago. After a stint in the Peace Corps, which took her to El Salvador to build latrines and stoves, she returned to Portland and got a job as the manager of Portland Habitat for Humanity's ReStore. The ReStore is a recycled-building-materials outlet for donated materials that can't be used for Habitat homes. When they sell, the money goes toward other needed materials.

"I'd been hunting for a house to buy for a year, on and off," Coward said. "I'd find something, make a bid, and it would sell for thousands more. I'd get discouraged and stop looking. Then I'd get my hopes up again, go out, bid on something else, lose it, and stop looking. It seemed like there would never be anything I could afford."

Coward was hoping to find a home for about $120,000 in Northeast, North or Southeast Portland. "I bid on a $150,000 home that sold for $170,000," she said. "I bid on a $135,000 home that sold for $150,000."

All the while, she was surrounded by building materials she wished she could use to restore her own home. Finally, she decided to see whether her landlord would be willing to sell.

He was. Now living in Thailand, he set $99,500 as the price for the small one-bedroom home on a deep lot in Northeast Portland. Coward leaped.

"I immediately started looking for lenders. Then, at work I came across information on the Portland Development Commission's program with the 4.95-percent Oregon State Bond loan, where you can incorporate the costs of the remodel. I was amazed. There are income limits for the program, and finally I qualified for something!"

"They were wonderful. They handled all the paperwork, everything," she said. "I had no clue what I was doing."

Coward wasn't home-free yet, though. Because she wanted to keep costs down by using recycled materials and doing a lot of the work herself, she needed to find a contractor who would agree to work with her. An architect friend drew up her plans—two bedrooms, two baths and a new kitchen—and she started seeking someone to guide her in doing the work.

Enter Kevin Hula, owner of Hula and Sons Construction.

"Kevin is my friend's boyfriend's mother's best friend's son," Coward said. "I found him by word of mouth, and he's great. He's let me do even more than I thought I could handle. I did all the demolition and all the electrical. Luckily, through Habitat, I know a lot of volunteers who have taught me how to do stuff."

The old bathroom and utility room, which were add-ons after the house was built, were on a poor foundation that suffered from dry rot. Coward started her remodel by knocking that part of the house down.

"For the addition, I did the insulation and the framing, and Kevin finished it. He did the foundation, the Sheetrock, put on the roof and the shingles," Coward said.

A whirlpool tub that came through the ReStore ended up in her new bathroom. She also got her doors, windows, toilet, tub, sink, sink fixtures, light fixtures and flooring from the ReStore. The bedroom floors will be wood, and the kitchen and bath will sport large terra-cotta tiles.

"Even though I hate it right now, in the midst of remodeling, I know one day this place will be so nice," Coward said. "I got so lucky. It was a crummy little house, but the property is so worth it. I love the location.

"I'm putting in a bigger kitchen, and I wanted French doors to open up into the backyard because I love to garden, and I love my backyard. And I always wanted a fireplace, so I'm getting one."

Even being squeezed into the unremodeled part of the house and depending on friends for bathroom facilities haven't dampened Coward's spirits. Her advice for those considering fixer-uppers is to go for it.

"Don't give up," she said. "Every time I made an offer, it was super frustrating to lose out. But be sure to check out the mortgages for fixers. That PDC loan was a blessing—I wouldn't have been able to do this otherwise. The payments are more than my rent was, but I'm cutting other things to make it work. This house is going to be so wonderful when it's done."

Resources

Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 66 S.E. Morrison St.; 503-283-6247; www.pdxrestore.org

Hula and Sons Construction, 20590 N.W. Adcock Road, Yamhill; 503-662-4561

Portland Development Commission Housing Services, 222 N.W. Fifth Ave.;
503-823-3400; www.pdc.us/housing

Portland free-lance writer Jan Behrs can be reached at Sunday Homes & Rentals, The Oregonian, 1320 S.W. Broadway, Portland, Ore. 97201.

©2005 The Oregonian
July 3, 2005

for Housing Services' News & Information E-Mail List

We value your input: Let us know what you think about our new website design.

for PDC's News & Information E-Mail Lists
Archive of sent E-Mails
Unsubscribe from our E-Mail Lists