“[Owning our home] changes the outlook for our life moving forward. It provides stability for our family. We can build wealth without being way over our head.”
Meet Paul and Sadie
They moved to the Bellingham area in 2014 and started a fresh cut flower farm. The work was fulfilling, and they enjoyed working with the land. A few years later, Sadie became pregnant, and they realized their work was too time-consuming. It kept Paul out of the home at all hours of the day and night, often driving to Seattle to deliver flowers as early as 2am. They decided to slow down to be more present parents and wanted to move away from the farm, but homeownership was unobtainable. They learned about Kulshan Community Land Trust and quickly got on the waiting list.
Paul went back to school and graduated with an accounting degree to find a career that would provide more stability. By now, the family of three was excited to become a family of four and they were quickly outgrowing their 600sq ft apartment. But as their household income increased, so did housing prices. Currently, the median home price in Whatcom County is $575,000, meaning a household requires an income of at least $137,000 to afford a home.
Finally, after four years on the Kulshan waitlist, their time had come. Paul and Sadie started working with the Kulshan team receiving homeownership counseling and filling out the mortgage paperwork. The process was long, but the result was worth it. Paul, Sadie and Joe were able to move into their home in the York district in July of this year. Sonja, the newest family member, was born just three days later!
For Paul and Sadie, having a home has meant the family is able to rest assured that the rent won’t go up, they can make it their own and have long-term visions. They’ve already painted, built a fence and planted a small garden with more to come next year. They were able to host Thanksgiving dinner and Sadie is looking forward to decorating for the holidays.
“We’re living within our means. Having stability with the kiddos is so awesome. We know where the kids are going to school, they won’t have to move school districts.”