If you read our blogs frequently, you know that being an AmeriCorps member with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is a great experience. Many past and current members have fond memories of their time serving. More memories were made when AmeriCorps alumni members gathered for a reunion build in the middle of winter - facing cold, snow, and ice to build at our Whitall location.
Searching for your first home is so exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming, especially if you're not sure what you want. The best thing you can do to find the right home is create a house hunting checklist to narrow down your search. Of course, you want to identify how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need, but we're talking about things like school district, neighborhood, crime rating, etc.
Before working with a realtor, here are four tips to narrow your search for your online house hunting checklist.
Guest blogger: Steve O’Malley
Habitat 500 rider and supporter
Have you heard about Twin Cities Habitat's Multiplying the Impact five-year fundraising campaign? It's all about folks like you in the Twin Cities coming together to more than double the Habitat homeownership opportunities—from about 50 to over 100 each year.
What will it take? All of us coming together, digging deep, and giving what we can. And there's so many ways you can get involved and make a difference. Attending a Habitat event is a great way to build stable, affordable homes for local families. (And, if I do say so myself, attending an event is perhaps the most fun way way to give back.)
The process of buying your first home is exciting. It’s also complicated. But a good REALTOR® can guide you every step of the way to help you understand the process. By interviewing at least three real estate agents, you’ll have a better chance of finding the right one for you. This will give you confidence throughout the rest of your homebuying experience.
Guest Blog written by Pat Lund
Twin Cities Habitat Age In Place Program Manager
Twin Cities Habitat is responding to a growing need in our community to preserve homeownership and assist older homeowners live safer and longer in their homes. Our Age in Place program launched in 2018 and is serving older homeowners with home modifications and exterior chore services. In honor of National Volunteer Week, we'd like to share with you ways to get involved in Age in Place.
Guest blog written by Shannon Twiss, Lead Volunteer Coordinator, and Greta Gaetz, Local/Regional Policy & Advocacy Coordinator
Each year, the Corporation for National and Community Service (the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps and Senior Corps) releases a comprehensive report on volunteer trends throughout the United States. The 2018 Volunteering in America report found that Minnesota ranks #2 for volunteering among states, and the Twin Cities Metro ranks #1 for volunteering among US cities.
Guest blog written by Shannon Twiss, Lead Volunteer Coordinator
Welcome, reader, to my experience as an AmeriCorps member over the last two years in the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity program! In case the quotation marks aren't a dead giveaway, the headers below are all in jest. I have truly loved my time in AmeriCorps, and below are just a few reasons why.
Guest blog by Shannon Twiss
Volunteer Coordinator and AmeriCorps member
April 8-12 is National Volunteer Recognition week, not just at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, but all across the country. Each year, nonprofit organizations and communities recognize volunteers and celebrate service. National Volunteer Week was established by Points of Light, and started in 1974.
We all have our own stories of home. This series shares those stories from Habitat staff. We'll explore questions like: what does home mean to us? How did we find a stable home? How do our stories inform our work? And how do Habitat's mission, vision, and values resonate with our experiences?
This story is written by Shereese Turner. She's our Senior Director of Programs & Services, and has worked at Habitat since 2018.