Within four months of attending a homebuyer seminar presented by Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation (UREC) in partnership with BancorpSouth Mortgage, Monicke Baker, 46, and her family are settled in their new home in Baton Rouge.

“I had been trying for years to purchase a home but kept getting denied for various reasons,” Baker said. “I really tried after the 2016 flood and still had no luck. I started to get emails regarding a Homebuyer Seminar presented by UREC, and I said, ‘I have to go.’”

Bryant Moore, Mortgage Loan Officer & Community Development Lender with BancorpSouth Mortgage, facilitated the seminar Baker attended. During the seminar, Moore discussed:  navigating the loan process from application to closing; mortgage loan options, including 100% financing and down payment assistance grants; and credit.

Baker said the information she learned during the seminar empowered her to move forward with the homebuyer process with Moore’s assistance. She closed on her home in July and is thoroughly enjoying the 4-bedroom home she shares with her son and grandson. “It feels really, really good” to be a homeowner, she said.

Moore said Baker’s persistence was key to her homebuying success. “She always provided information and documents for her loan in a timely manner, which made the process much easier and smoother. She asked a lot of questions and never seemed to stress out, which is often the case when buying a home for the first time.”

Baker said she encourages individuals who may have been let down in the past during the homebuying process not to give up. “I didn’t think homeownership was possible for me after having such a hard time in the past,” she said. “Keep trying and don’t give up. I gave up, but then I became persistent. You have to trust God and have patience, but the most important thing is to not get discouraged.”

UREC is a nonprofit community development organization that transforms communities by investing in people and transforming neighborhoods. UREC hosts homebuyer seminars throughout the year with community banking partners to educate future homebuyers on how to purchase a home. For more information call 225-356-8871 or email info@urecbr.com.