For Miavea and Johnie, buying their second home was about finding a place that truly fit their life. After selling their previous house, they spent a year in an apartment while searching for what they hoped would be their forever home. Saving enough for a down payment took longer than expected, so, eager to get out of the apartment, Miavea and Johnie used REI Oklahoma’s Down Payment Assistance program to get where they wanted to go faster.
“Now it’s hard to have the finances you need to get the housing that you want, it’s just so hard to save,” Miavea said. “This down payment assistance is nice because I know I can make arrangements to pay it off early, and I had the money ready to go when we needed it. It took a lot of stress off of us.”
They closed on their home remarkably fast—in under four weeks—and Miavea gave credit to their lender and realtor for the smooth process.
“Of all the things I have going on, this was the least stressful because of the people who worked with us,” she said. “Our lender, Heather, and realtor, Marcus, are top notch in customer care and made the process so seamless.”
When Miavea first saw the home, she knew it was special. “I loved the red door and the red shutters. It was really speaking to me and was everything I’d been wanting and praying for.” With an extra room, a backyard that was just the right size and space to host family and friends, she said, “This is truly my dream home.”
Miavea was even able to get a pet she had always wanted: a snake she named Dream Come True. Her husband had asked that she wait until they moved to get one, so as soon as Miavea could, she headed to the pet store. Now her beloved Dream enjoys her habitat in Miavea’s office.
Settled into their new space, Miavea and Johnie are excited to put down roots and make memories for years to come. From hosting loved ones to checking off longtime dreams, their new home is already everything they had hoped it would be.
