THERE'S NO PLACE
LIKE HOME

Amy Kipping was determined to move back to Syracuse. It wasn't that she and her family disliked Florida where they had lived for the last six years, it was more of what Amy missed about Central New York that made the move to Syracuse so important to the Kipping family.

"I missed the change of the seasons and hiking in the fall. I missed pumpkin farms and skiing in the winter," said Mrs. Kipping who along with her husband are both natives of this area. "But most importantly, I wanted my daughter educated here instead of in Florida. I guess you could say that I missed the education system in this area, too."

So the family packed, moved, secured a transitional apartment in the area and started the search for a house that fit all of the family's requirements. "We needed something affordable, conveniently located and a house that simply felt right," said Mrs. Kipping. "My three year old daughter just wanted a house that we could be in for Christmas, she wanted to sleep where her presents were staying."

A couple of months before her daughter's deadline, Amy found herself passing an open house sign in the Lincoln Hill neighborhood on the City's near Northside. She immediately turned her car around, drove to the house and walked in to see if the property was a possibility.

"The minute I walked in it felt like home," said Mrs. Kipping. "It was so different from all the other houses that we looked at in our price range, all of the beautiful, original woodwork and all of the great details that you could tell were lovingly cared for throughout the years."

Now it was just a matter of making it all happen. With moving and living expenses presenting a challenge to saving an ample amount of available cash for down payment and closing costs, Amy Kipping was concerned that she would not be able to secure the house in time to meet her daughter's wishes. And then she looked more closely at the realtor's information sheet and read about the Lincoln Hill Purchase and Rehab Grant Program. The program, offered through the Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative, Home HeadQuarters, the City of Syracuse and the Lincoln Hill Neighborhood Association, offered prospective homebuyers in the Lincoln Hill neighborhood up to $5,000 for down payment and closing cost assistance and exterior home improvements.

"The Lincoln Hill Purchase and Rehab Grant cinched the deal," said Mrs. Kipping. "The financing was truly like a gift, it allowed us to do what we're were hoping we could do-it made it all possible."

A Home HeadQuarters representative arrived at Mrs. Kipping's closing with a check for her down payment and closing costs and with three days to spare, Amy Kipping's daughter got her wish of spending Christmas in their new home.

"We live in a great neighborhood where people take care of their homes and lawns and where it is so close and convenient to getting around and doing things and meeting new people," said Amy. "I am so happy we moved here."

Now, Amy Kipping needs to decide what to do with the remainder of her grant money. She is thinking about extending her driveway, fixing a fence and repairing her sidewalk, but thinks too that she likes dreaming about all of the possibilities.

Fixing Up a Westcott Home Made Easier