The Hux family closed on their new Habitat for Humanity home on Friday, Jan. 30 in Alpena. Pictured, from left, are Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan Board President Max Lindsay, Habitat NEMI Homeownership Coordinator Jenny Nestell, homeowners Grace Hux and David Hux, and Habitat NEMI Executive Director Ted Fines.

ALPENA — Two local families are starting the new year in new Habitat for Humanity homes on Bedford Street in Alpena.

On Jan. 30, David and Grace Hux closed on their first home, followed by Laura Smith, a few doors down, near Ella White School. All three homes on Bedford Street are now occupied by new owners.

The families were hoping to move in before Christmas, but inspection delays, combined with the busy holiday season, extended their wait a bit longer than expected.

“It was a long struggle,” Habitat NEMI Executive Director Ted Fines told David and Grace Hux at the closing. “But it’s worth it in the long run.”

Fines said they were able to secure a USDA mortgage with a 5% interest rate, bringing the monthly payment, including taxes and insurance, to less than $700 per month. He said that is not only an affordable payment, but they will now be building equity rather than paying rent, as they had been for many years. He added that their new home is valued at over $200,000.

Habitat NEMI Homeownership Coordinator Jenny Nestell answered any questions the new homeowners had throughout the process.

“I’m excited,” David Hux said after completing the closing paperwork and receiving the house keys from Nestell. “I just get nervous with change. But I’m excited. It’ll all become real tonight after work.”

“You’re going to come home and walk in YOUR door,” Nestell told Hux.

The process, from application to keys, took a little over three years for the Huxes. Nestell guided them through the process, such as educating them on how to improve their credit over time and how much income they needed to qualify for certain loans.

“I’m excited just to cut grass,” said David Hux.

He said that he is looking forward to planting sunflowers in the spring and possibly putting an above-ground pool in the backyard for their children.

Grace Hux picked up an application from the Habitat for Humanity office in late 2022. She said her husband was skeptical at first as to whether they would qualify.

“I didn’t know what to do, and Jennifer helped us, step by step, to know what to do to get to each goal,” David Hux said.

“They just were wonderful to work with,” Nestell said of the Huxes.

Nestell discussed some of the challenges that came up during the process, which hinges on a variety of factors, including weather, availability of construction materials, arranging building inspections, and more. She added that each situation is unique, and that every minor setback is a learning opportunity for both the new homeowners and Habitat staff.

“This block of Bedford Street was one of our first construction processes where we had three homes going in at the same time,” Nestell said at the closing, which was held at Northern Title in Alpena. “It was very challenging going through that with three families at the same time. We had a few bumps, but we were able to get through them very quickly and hopefully painlessly. We learned a lot about our process as well.”

She added that Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan has stepped up in the past three years, with more homes in progress in Hillman right now. Thunder Bay Homes and Contracting, owned by Jesse LeSage, constructed the Bedford Street homes in Alpena. They are currently working on three more homes on Pine Street in Hillman, with the bulk of the construction work to continue this spring.

“We’ve built nine homes in the past three years,” Nestell said. “And before that, it was, like, one home a year. So, we’re learning how to work with our families — what they may know, and what they don’t necessarily know. We need to realize that this is THE life step for them, and it’s completely different from where they’ve been up until this point. We just want to make sure that we’re here to help them through the process, get them through the door, and make sure that the next part of their future is just wide open to whatever they want it to be.”

All three homes have new owners now, as Erika Barrett closed on her Bedford Street home on Dec. 12. She and her children were able to celebrate Christmas in their new home.

“My son, his biggest thing is that we are about three or four houses from his school, so now he can ride his bike to school,” David Hux said.

He added that his daughter is excited to have a yard.

The Huxes have two children, Alexis, 13, and Jacob, 10. With their new home, they now have a sense of security and stability to provide to their children now and into the future.

“I’m so excited to be able to leave something behind,” David Hux said.

Smith noted that although the process was longer than expected, she is happy to be able to call her home her own.

“There were certain things that I’d never dealt with before,” Smith said, adding that owning her own home offers a sense of security and freedom unlike renting from a landlord.

She will be settling in with her foster dog, Alfredo Noodle, and her cat, Simba.

“It’s starting a new future,” Smith said. “I was actually glad that I was getting it in the new year to start a fresh year. I feel very happy and excited. It is a new beginning.”

The new homeowners are looking forward to not having to worry about a landlord or the possibility that their home or apartment could be put up for sale, forcing them to move with very little notice.