A New Sense of Home
It’s impossible not to feel welcome inside Vladimir Bullón and Greg Chire’s new shared equity condo at Bay Ridge in Shelburne.
The living space is decorated with family pictures and furniture that the couple tracked down from secondhand shops and Facebook marketplace. Their sixth month old puppy Willow follows visitors up from room to room. Perhaps the most important part is their kitchen, which currently smells like fall thanks to the butternut squash soup that Greg has on the stove.
“Our house is like a dream that we never thought could be fulfilled. It’s something that we’re grateful for and happy that we did it!” says Vladimir.
Vladimir from Peru and Greg from Venezuela, met while living in New York City. It was Greg’s work as a chef that brought them to Vermont. They rented a small apartment in Winooski without even seeing it in person. Immediately, they were surprised by the tight housing market and the expensive cost of living in their new community.
“Everything here was expensive. The gas, the food, and the rent. It gets to the point as you get older where you want a place that is yours. We don’t want to worry anymore about the rent going up next year,” says Vladimir
One day at work, Greg saw a poster advertising Champlain Housing Trust’s shared equity homeownership program. At first, he wasn’t sure if the program was for them but eventually decided to sign up for HomeBuyer Education and see where it led.
“The classes were amazing. As first-time homebuyers, we found out so many things we didn’t know. The process and communication were so smooth with everybody,” .
They hadn’t ever considered the idea of homeownership and what that might mean. The classes and counseling sessions with staff gave them the knowledge and confidence to move toward their new dream.
The process eventually brought them to Champlain Housing Trust’s newest development at Bay Ridge in Shelburne. The location is perfect for the couple, just a few minutes from Greg’s job as a chef at Wake Robin.
Initially, the only images they could see of their future home were the construction progress pictures they were sent by CHT staff. It wasn’t until the open house last summer that they were finally able to see what they were buying.
“We would always come by in the afternoons and park or drive by and just watch the house. We were so excited,” says Greg.
The couple eagerly counted the days until they could move into their new home. They didn’t wait to start decorating. They spent hours online looking for secondhand furniture. Now as they sit in their living room, Greg points out the great deals they got on each piece.
It’s a calm space that the couple is always thankful to come home to. As Greg puts it, that is what home is all about.
“This is something that we never thought of,” says Greg. “This opportunity that has been given to us is such a blessing. A home is a place that we can come back to. Where we can feel secure and feel like this place is ours.”