STUDENT INTERVIEWS

Interview with Candida Cruz of Operation Bootstrap, Lynn

Candida Cruz is from the Dominican Republic and has been living in Lynn, Massachusetts for four years. She first came to the United States five years ago to visit her relatives in Lynn. After talking to her Uncle about life in the United States, she imagined that she too could immigrate and make a "better life for my two children. Her Uncle helped her figure out how to do that. She first came to Lynn by herself. It took her another year to save the money to bring her children over. She stills has some "family back in the D.R.," but her children are here, and "that's what's important to me."

Working at the New England Coffee Factory in Malden for three and one-half years has given her the chance to "save some money and have a steady job." After participating in the Homebuying Readiness project at Operation Bootstrap she feels more certain that she would like to buy a house. Also through the process of studying about homebuying, and after learning about the available first-time homebuying programs, she knows "where to go and what kinds of questions to ask." She tells me that she has already spoken with a Real Estate Agent who offered to take her to two different three-families that had just recently been placed on the market. "But they weren't near the part of Lynn that I know; I don't want to live too far away from my Uncle. I told that to the Realtor and he is looking for a three-family in the neighborhood where I live."

Candida now knows that she wants to buy a three-family," so I can collect the mortgage from the other two rents," and ultimately have something that belongs to her and her children. "Also, my nephew is a construction man, and if he moved in, he could fix whatever breaks in the house. I think he would do that. I wouldn't make him pay rent. As long as I can afford the mortgage that way."

Initially the homebuying vocabulary was too difficult for Candida. But she persisted in class because she was so interested in learning about the topic. She also felt comfortable in the class, trusting that if she spoke up, the teacher would help her understand the English words and concepts associated with homebuying: "I don’t speak good English. And when Nancy [a teacher at Operation Bootstrap] first talk about homes, I don't understand anything," Candida exclaims. "But she's a good teacher and make sure we understand. Now I know you need good credit to get the money from the bank. Also I know how the bank works. I have a checking and savings account with the bank now. I know about how you need to be at one job for what?, maybe two or three years to show the bank that you have a steady job, and I know about special programs for people like me, just coming to this country who want a better life. I know I can get a special program to help me borrow money for a house."

"I want to buy someday so that my children will have something for them. Also we won't have to move if we don’t want to. I will live free from a landlord. And my nephew might move in and help me take care of things."

Interview with Vanda Ivaneko of Operation Bootstrap, Lynn

"English is my fourth language after Russian, Ukranian and Azerbajani. I was born in Azerbajan," Vanda pauses, and then continues, "but I am Armenian and moved to the Ukraine because of the wars in Azerbajan."

In the Ukraine, Vanda was a mechanical engineer. Here in the United States she works as a home health aid for an elderly Russian man. "I don't mind for now. We keep each other company during the day. But, see I only speak English six hours a week and I need to know more English if I want another job that makes more money."

Vanda has been in the United States for three and one-half years; she has been studying English at Operation Bootstrap ever since. When she first came to the United States with her husband, they worked very hard to save money to bring over their two children, their "big children," aged 27 and 30.

"In Russia you don't buy a house. No one has that kind of money anymore. Remember, you need the whole thing in cash or gold." She notes that before 1990, under Communist rule, living accommodations were always provided for, though the apartments were small, dingy and decrepit.

After keeping her money under the bed for two years, "like in the picture of the book the teacher showed us," Vanda who is 56 and her husband who is 59 bought a condominium in Lynn. They paid the entire cost of the condominium in cash, most of which they borrowed from their Russian friends.

"That's the way we do it. We all lost our money in the banks in Russia. Now we don’t trust banks. We help each other. You need money, I have, so I give. I need money, you have maybe a little, so you give."

"I think now we will buy a big home. The children are adults and need their own apartments so I look at the cable t.v. and the newspaper to find a new home. I search for one year because I want to live in Lynn. Lynn is good for me, good prices of homes and I love the ocean."

How will they buy their next house?, I ask her. Does she still not trust the banks. She offers this to me: "Now, when we find the house we want, we will maybe use a bank and borrow from them. I meet the people from the bank for our class, they are very nice and one speaks Russian. I guess in the United States, it's good to use the bank. Different economics in the United States, maybe here the banks won't all crash."

Interview with Jean & Yvonne Bien Ame of ABCD' SouthSide HeadStart

"I have been in Boston 17 or 18 years, Jean tells me. "I left Haiti with my father and brother, after my mother died. We were farmers in Haiti. My father had animals and different kind of plants that I don't know in English. In Haiti," Jean continues, "you have land and you build a house. You build it yourself, with your family and your neighbors. For me, if I stayed in Haiti, I would live in my father's house and my son would bring up his family there. It was my father's father who built that house. He was a farmer too.That's what we did. That was a long time ago. I was young then." When Jean finishes, he smiles at his wife Yvonne who has accompanied him to the interview that evening.

Jean and Yvonne have both been in the United States for almost twenty years. They met here at church when they first immigrated and soon after married.

Later in the conversation upon learning that they have owned their own three-family home for ten years, a home that they have just recently refinanced, I ask them if they bought the house because they planned to stay in this country. Yvonne says, "Oh yes," while Jean shakes his head "no." "We'll see," he acquiesces. "We'll see what we want to do when we get older and our child grows up and has his own family."

Because Jean and Yvonne had both lived in homes that their parents had owned in Haiti, they knew the benefits of owning property rather than renting. "Especially in this country where you only pay a little of the whole cost, and where work opportunities are everywhere," Jean states.

It seems however that when Jean and Yvonne first became home owners they were confronted with misunderstanding the accrued costs of closing on the house. They had no choice, but to borrow these costs from their other relatives and friends from church.

Jean tells the story: "We went to the real estate. They told us what bank to go to when we find the house we want. It is a bad story because the bank sees us. They say, 'a foreigner, he doesn't know anything we can fool him.' I try to do something for myself and my family but they make it hard. They raise the price of the closing costs and the insurance, and only now after the [homebuying] class do I learn that they make us pay too much."

"Double too-much," adds Yvonne.

After talking for a while, Jean admits he didn't know anything about the first-time homebuying programs, nor did he expect to have to pay for a lawyer and to pay for the bank's lawyer. "It's an unfair system in some ways. But in other ways it worked out for us. I just wish I knew about those programs that cover your closing costs before we signed the papers."

In fact, Yvonne and Jean are spreading the word, encouraging their other family members to buy homes. "I have eleven brothers and sisters," Yvonne says. "Six of them are here and together with my mother they are all buying houses now. Two families will live in one house, renting out one unit, and two families will live in another. I don't know what my mother and sister Bernice will do, but for now they can live with us."

After we end our formal conversation, Yvonne asks me for more of "those books that my husband studied." She would like to give a few copies of the FannieMae Foundation's How to Buy a House in the United States to her siblings so that they can prepare for the complex process of borrowing such a large amount of money and purchasing a house. "Before the bank has them signing some papers that they only think they understand," she tells me and tsks.

"I'm going to buy another house," says Yvonne after we have said good night. "A single family where we don't have tenants. This time we will know more about how much the whole thing costs. We will go in with some better information.

Interview with Elena Morena of Operation Bootstrap

Elena has been visiting housing auctions sponsored by the bank. She is looking for a "single family house in Lynn that needs some fixing up." She tells me that she has already spoken to a mortgage broker and with their combined incomes both she and her husband are confident that they will receive financing from the bank when she finds the right house. As a result of her ESOL class and reading the curriculum, Elena says that she understands the process of homebuying, and feels confident that with her husband's construction skills they can maintain a house.

When Elena, speaks about the homebuying process, she explains how important it is to go from bank to bank to find "someplace you feel comfortable." Also, she emphasizes how interest rates and special first-time homebuying programs vary from bank to bank; another reason to do some "bank shopping." Elena tells me that a friend of hers suggested that she first speak with a particular bank because most of the bankers speak Spanish and she can communicate what she needs and wants. She's also happy with their current mortgage rates, and soon will apply for a pre-qualification on a mortgage loan.

"Together, four years ago, we came from Cuba. We lived in a little city right in the middle of the island. Now I am happy because I learn English and I learn about what you can do here in America. With the language, I have opportunities…Just last week, at work, I get moved to a new job. The trainer is American and, thank god, I understand everything she says to me!"

Elena found the unit on homebuying one of the best she ever studied! She learned so much from working with an actual amortization chart, and she loved learning about the different kinds of houses: "Victorian is still my favorite. My husband wants to live in a Tudor." She was especially appreciative of hearing about homebuying/home ownership through the experiences of classmates: "In class, we interviewed three ladies who are students who bought homes. That was my favorite part of the class because we ask them all questions about buying homes, and they give many kinds of answers." This kind of practical, first-hand information seemed to be very valuable to Elena. "One lady was very happy, and another women had difficulty with her tenants. That's maybe why I don't want tenants."

"This is my advice, if a friend came from Cuba, I would say, wait, save money in the bank and stay for a time at one job. Also I would tell them to get a credit card but not to use it too often and to always pay back every penny. I have good credit now because I have a credit card that I use only once or twice, and then I pay everything back. That's the way to buy a house for you and your family in America."