Home at First Sight (Winter 2007)

Michelle Waterman took one look at the entrance of 108 -110 Lincoln St. and determined to make the house her own. “You can tell a lot about a place by its doors,” Waterman explained.  So when she saw the façade of the multi-family Victorian, she was immediately sold. All she had to do next was ensure the house was sold to her as well.

A lifelong resident of Hartford, Michelle had rented in Hartford’s Southside since 1997. For years, she had considered buying a home and in the past, had even added her name to SINA’s Cityscape Homes database for notification of available homes.

Being a mom and working for the Board of Education kept Michelle busy. Homeownership was not on the forefront until recently, when she came across an old letter from SINA regarding the Cityscape Homes program. Reading it, she realized she was ready to take the next step. Straightaway, Michelle called SINA and spoke to Director of Development John Rosenthal who explained the program in greater detail. Determined to make her move, Michelle brought SINA the paperwork to start the process that very day.

Within the week, John took Michelle to see the available homes. When they pulled up to the house on Lincoln Street Michelle knew she would look no further. “I didn’t even have to come inside to know it was a great house,” she said. Of course, when she did walk inside, the pristine renovations, spacious rooms and hardwood floors proved her theory; the place was beautiful.

“I just kept telling myself it was mine.”  And that was just the motivation she needed for the arduous experience of volatile interest rates and closing fees.

“SINA’s John Rosenthal provided excellent help along the way,” Michelle expressed. “Any question I had, any little thing that I needed, John was always right there. The same for Luis Cabán. When John couldn’t be there for the inspection, Luis came to the house himself.”

Two months later all their hard work paid off. In October 2006, Michelle and her 9 year-old daughter packed up their old apartment and moved into the first home of their own. Michelle loves the new rooms and, for her daughter, a fenced in backyard. Michelle’s daughter herself enjoyed being able to choose her bedroom, and, even better, the opportunity to pick the new bathroom color: purple!

Along with the new space and freedom, the new house brought new responsibilities. Owning a home adds to the expenses, but the rental apartment below helps offset some of the costs.