Ventura County Community Development Corp. — 17 years in a garage and now HOME

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the obstacles that loom ahead of a home purchase and too often we count ourselves out of the possibility of becoming homeowners one day. Yet in 2016, the Torres Family decided that they were going to try. It wasn’t an easy start. Mayra Torres, mom of three, had to resort to gathering coins from their money jar to afford a babysitter while they attended their first Homebuyer Workshop with VCCDC. They started from the very beginning; learning how to budget and starting the slow process of building up their credit score. Last month, after diligently working for almost 6 years (and many many homeownership coaching sessions later), the Torres Family moved out of the garage they had been living in for 17 years and closed on their very own home purchase.

“A week before we closed our purchase, we went to see the house [for our final inspection] and I remember I went to the yard which has fruit trees and I picked up a lemon and I brought the lemon home. When I cut the lemon, it was so emotional because this was a lemon that is mine, I don’t have to buy it at the store. It is so amazing to have a place that you can say is yours.” – Mayra

Pictured: the Torres Family in their new kitchen

The Torres Family will be sharing their journey at this year’s conference. Don’t let the mountain of obstacles stop you from starting your homeownership journey. The dream really can become your reality.

Join us online for a free event on our virtual platform, Whova, from 11:00am – 3:30pm!

Our 10th Annual Homeownership Conference happening next month on June 25. It has grown from being our region’s largest homeownership event to a can’t-miss virtual conference for homebuyers and homeowners across Central and Southern California.

Enjoy workshops on relevant topics for homebuyers and homeowners; network with industry experts; learn about programs offering more than $100,000 in down payment or closing costs assistance, and participate in fun games with opportunities to win up to $200 in gift cards. New for 2022 is our Virtual Loan Center which will provide interested homebuyers the opportunity to be pre-qualified on the day of event.