Little eleven-month-old Katie LaRue will never remember the struggles of her family to find the perfect home in rural Maine. She will grow up with her own room and a large yard to play in. For her Mom, Monique, Dad, Jesse, and her four siblings, they will always appreciate how the new home impacted their family, and how it helped shape their futures.

The family had rented a home in Turner for eight years, and then started the homebuying process. They found a home in West Paris and made an offer. Unfortunately, with just two weeks before they were to close, the sale fell through. They rented a home in Lewiston with a two-month rental agreement while they looked for a home to purchase. Jesse says “it was a miracle” they found the home in Oxford as quickly as they did. “If we hadn’t been able to close when we did, we would have been homeless.”

Jesse and Monique were elated to finance the home in Oxford through Residential Mortgage Services with a USDA Rural Development Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan. The best part is that their new home is affordable -- in fact, their mortgage payment of $869 is less than their former rent payment of $950. At the end of the day the pride they feel as a result of homeownership is priceless.

The family has big plans for their new home, and Jesse is currently renovating it so that each family member can have their own room. The large family room can easily accommodate them all, and a large yard and long driveway mean plenty of space for the kids to play and ride bikes.

According to Jesse, the best part about the home is “Owning our own place. We are all very excited and very happy to be here.”  When asked to describe the home in one word, the kids used words like “Amazing! Awesome! And BIG!” Monique summed it up with a smile on her face by saying... “Mine.”