Abdeltif Aleahbar

Abdeltif Aleahbar is a father of three who purchased his first home in 2022 with the help of AHCOPA. Originally from Morocco, Aleahbar was considering moving back in 2019, but he decided to stay due to his son’s autism. Wanting a more secure future for himself and his children, Aleahbar dreamed of buying a house.

“The rent is so expensive, it’s not worth it,” Aleahbar recalls, “So instead of paying rent, we wanted to put it to the mortgage. It was a dream for me to buy a house, and thank God we got it.”

Aleahbar searched for over a year for a house, and found that the competition in the housing market was the hardest part. He saw that buyers were paying cash, particularly people from New York, and that they were using the houses to start their own real estate businesses. “I was really mad,” he explains, “It’s a bad feeling when you feel powerless and unable to provide for your children.”

But with luck, persistence, and the help of AHCOPA’s housing counselor, Doris Paez, everything finally came into place. “The home, the area, everything! I was able to find a 3 bedroom house with a wide living room, a nice kitchen, and I have a garden and a backyard for my sons,” says Aleahbar. “My sons are enjoying life. Everything is good. The neighborhood is safe and quiet and close to their schools. And I’m excited to learn how to take care of the garden!”

Aleahbar credits his housing counselor for helping him navigate the homebuyer process, especially the down payment assistance programs. “Ms. Doris helped me a lot, especially with the LIFT program.” Doris encouraged Aleahbar to approach multiple banks for pre-approval letters so that he could compare their rates and assistance programs and pick the best grants. Aleahbar was able to secure a lender that provided their own down payment assistance resources and layer that with the NeighborhoodLIFT grant.

“AHCOPA was a lot of help,” says Aleahbarh. “I learned a lot, how to evaluate a home, the responsibility of a house. They guided me, checked my credit score, and advised me on what price house to buy. I advise all my friends about AHCOPA because they will help you save a lot of money and they will teach you.”
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“Even after I bought the house, Doris followed up with me. She gave me good information and shared a link about how to reduce taxes as a first time homebuyer. I hope she will continue to advise me. I appreciate her.”