We caught up with St. Ambrose homeowner Lelia Kimbrough for a few minutes between her workday and her son’s baseball game one afternoon last week. Lelia bought her newly remodeled St. Ambrose home in the neighborhood of Belair-Edison in August 2016.
Lelia’s beautiful new home actually sits on the same block of the house she rented when she first moved to the neighborhood many years ago. Lelia loves the neighborhood for its diversity and openness. She takes advantage of the trails in Herring Run Park and loves the azalea bushes that brighten up the neighborhood every spring. She commented on how the neighborhood’s diversity really makes Belair-Edison a special place to live, “I like the mix of people and ideas and plans. You get a variety of houses and it’s local, but close to transportation, too.”
For Lelia, the homebuying process was straight forward. She completed her home buyer education course with Druid Heights CDC and was very mindful of being prepared with all of the necessary paperwork every step of the way. Lelia received closing cost assistance and grants from both local and national sources. She qualified for a Vacants to Value grant, a grant from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, as well as closing cost assistance from the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA). NFHA grants are available through St. Ambrose to our new homeowners through NFHA’s Inclusive Communities Grants Program.Lelia commented on her home buying process, “I did not have a bad experience. Once I decided on the property, everything just flowed.”
What attracted Lelia to the house was the open kitchen and the added bathroom and closet space. Lelia’s done a great job making the space her own, both inside and outside. Her favorite find for her home was a beautiful wrought iron patio set she picked up second hand for $45.
In her short time as a homeowner she’s already participated in block events and clean-ups, shared gardening supplies with her neighbor, and developed a good rapport with the kids who run around on her block. She enjoys meeting new neighbors, and sometimes even gets help with bringing her groceries in from the neighborhood kids. Lelia’s adamant about getting a lot of neighbors involved with clean-up projects and neighborhood events.
Lelia will be the first to tell you that Belair-Edison is a strong community with a good spirit, but that its success depends on everyone working together and contributing to making Belair-Edison a great place to live.
We’re delighted to have yet another good neighbor living in one of our beautiful St. Ambrose homes. Congratulations, Lelia on reaching your goal of homeownership, and thank you for helping to make Belair-Edison a great place to call home!
Lelia shares her home with her two sons and 3 yorkies. Her oldest son plays football at a college in Scranton and lives with her part-time, while her youngest son is 14 years old.
Want to learn more about Lelia’s beloved neighborhood? Check out Belair-Edison’s neighborhood website.
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