March 13, 2024
GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA
AT HOME ON THE GREATER WEST SIDE A GCM GUIDE TO HOMEOWNERSHIP
For Cynthia Rodriguez, finding a forever home was a top priority By DELANEY NELSON Special Projects Reporter
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hether growing up in Edgewater and Portage Park or renting in Belmont-Cragin — and now buying a house in Montclare — Cynthia Rodriguez has spent most of her life on the northwest side of Chicago. Last January, Rodriguez and Abraham Roman, her husband of 20 years, attended an information session at YUB Realty. Roman was ready to start the home-buying process, but it took Rodriguez a bit longer to warm up to the idea. “I was always the hesitant one,” she said. “[I was like], ‘We’re not going to be able to do it. How can we afford it? How are we going to save for a down payment?’” With two teenagers and an 18-month-old, Rodriguez was also worried about the prospect of balancing daily life with the ins and outs of buying a home, like submitting all of the necessary paperwork and visiting houses. But by the end of the year, with some convincing on Roman’s end, the couple decided they were ready to dive into what they see as the “American Dream.” He told her, “I know it’s stressful to gather documents and have these financial conversations, but we can definitely do it.” “It’s always a dream to buy a home for your kids and for yourself,” Rodriguez said. They wanted to give their kids a place to call their own, and it felt like time to transition away from renting, and instead invest in their own property. They returned to YUB Realty in January, where they met with real estate broker Lorena Ramirez-Carrillo’s team. Within
PROVIDED It took some convincing, but Cynthia Rodriguez said investing in her own home was worth it in the end.
a week, the couple received their preapproval letter, visited houses, submitted an offer, and closed on the house. Within the next month, they hope to move into their new home. Rodriguez said she is excited that her kids will now have more room for themselves. Her 16-year-old daughter, for example, will stay in the finished basement, where she can chill without her two younger brothers “in her hair.” Her oldest son, 13, will
now have his own room, and her toddler will grow up in the family home. “[I’m] looking forward to my little one growing up in his forever home,” she said. “With my older kids, we’ve moved a couple of times. I’m just looking forward to now, for my
See FOREVER HOME on page B3
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