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The Haywoods’ homeownership journey started with just Kelly in 2016 — “doing her single life thing,” says Mark, as she rented an apartment in Chapel Hill and worked with UNC students in campus ministry. When Mark and Kelly close on their new house in Briar Chapel next week, it’ll be with 2-year-old Lucy in tow and a new baby on the way. So much has happened in the past six years for the Haywoods since Kelly first bought her Community Home Trust home in Rosemary Place!

When Kelly first heard about CHT, she saw it as a great opportunity to dip her toe into homeownership while saving some money, too, since her monthly mortgage payment on her home would actually be less than she was paying in rent. She had a roommate at first, who eventually moved out when Kelly got engaged to and then married to Mark in 2019. Not long after, Mark and Kelly welcomed Lucy to the family — and in July, they look forward to welcoming Lucy’s baby brother! Ultimately, the need for a third bedroom for the new baby is the reason they’re selling their CHT home in Rosemary Place, but Mark says that as excited as they are about this next step in their journey, they’re also sad to say goodbye to a home and neighborhood that has been so good to them.

“We feel rooted in this community, with Kelly’s job, our church, my brother right around the corner, friends nearby. Our vision is really for the Chapel Hill area, for this community,” says Mark. That’s why they’re glad to be moving just 10 minutes down the road, where they’ll still be able to keep in touch with the neighbors and friends who have helped make their house in Rosemary Place a home.

Mark credits CHT in large part with helping them successfully navigate today’s hot housing market. He says that the financial foundation they were able to lay has helped them get the start they needed to set themselves up financially and relationally to be prepared for this next step. Although they know that the limited appreciation they’re able to earn on selling their CHT home means they won’t necessarily walk away with the huge windfall many homesellers are making these days, Mark and Kelly have been able to use these years with low mortgage payments to save aggressively for a downpayment and the other costs associated with buying a home. And that meant they had a leg up on their competition on the private market. “That has been a blessing in our marriage because we have felt at peace and have had the space to make decisions without feeling stressed or pressured or financially unsound.”

As for the selling process, Mark and Kelly have taken advantage of CHT’s sales team’s expertise in navigating the steps. They’re currently working on small improvements to prepare their home for the market, like cosmetic repairs and cleaning. Once they check those things off the list, their house will be ready to sell. They know their home will be a catch for whoever buys it next: just three minutes’ drive to campus; a quick walk to Brixx, their favorite hangout; and “Harris Teeter right in our parking lot!” says Mark. Plus Rosemary Place is part of the Meadowmont community, which means access to lots of amenities: walking trails, the YMCA pool, great schools, and fantastic neighbors. In fact, Mark warns homebuyers who are interested in moving to Chapel Hill that it’s “certainly a town that makes it hard to leave.”

As for whether they’d recommend buying through CHT, Mark offers this perspective: “I’ve seen a lot of friends try to rush processes like this, and I’ve noticed that a lot of those folks end up in these pressure-filled situations that add tension to their marriage. So we decided that maybe we’d miss out on the crazy margins we could make if we bought a house and flipped it in two years, maybe we took a little longer to buy a house, maybe we’ve moved a little slower through some of these adulting processes, but we’re doing it to have peace of mind. And that’s worth way more to me.” He encourages CHT applicants to take advantage of the wealth of resources and support CHT offers and not be shy about asking questions and using the services and educational opportunities that are available. Specifically for young, first-time homeowners like Mark and Kelly, the chance to learn from and be supported by the team of experts at CHT is invaluable, and they have been encouraging others they know to consider applying and taking advantage of what CHT has to offer. In fact, access to experts like Property Manager Ian Morse, Sales Manager Amy Slaughter, and Community Manager Felicia Stroud is one of the things they say they’ll miss the most about being part of the CHT family.

Says Kelly,“We’ve loved living in this community for the past six years. It’s been a blessing to our family and we’re thankful for the relationships that we’ll carry with us on to the new house. Thanks, Community Home Trust, for providing us such a good opportunity for homeownership!”

If you’re interested in learning more about our homeownership program and available homes like Mark and Kelly’s, the first step is to complete our online application. Questions? Please contact Sales Manager Amy Slaughter at aslaughter@communityhometrust.org or 919.967.1545 x308.