Lindsey Towler showed a Santa ornament to the towheaded toddler sitting in her lap.
"Can you give Santa a kiss?" she asked her son, Drew Kjornes, as he gazed wide-eyed at their Christmas tree.
It's the first time Towler has bought her own Christmas tree, a fresh blue spruce from Home Depot. It'll also be the first time she'll be hosting the family Christmas Day gathering in her own home.
In August, Towler closed on a two-bedroom bungalow in northeast Minneapolis. She's a proud first-time homeowner, thanks to a City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT) grant, which helps low- to moderate-income people buy houses in Minneapolis.
The roomy kitchen and big yard are a plus, but for Towler, a single mother, the best part of owning a home is being able to give her son the stability she seldom had as a kid.
"I'm excited that my son can grow up in a neighborhood, make friends and stay at the same school," she said.
The road to homeownership didn't come easy. Last year, Towler and her son were renting a duplex near Minnehaha Falls. "I got a nice letter asking me to move out because people were complaining that the baby was too loud," she said.
Towler was able to live temporarily with relatives, but she vowed to someday buy a house of her own with space "where Drew can sing and run around and be a child," she said.
Towler works full time as an administrative assistant at the Educational Opportunity Center at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. However, her income and student loan debt from MCTC (where she earned an associate degree in human services) only qualified her for a home listed for $60,000 to $80,000.
The houses available at that price weren't suitable for children. "I looked at so many dumps that needed a lot of work," she said. "I had a baby, and there were too many hazards."
Towler got a break when Alerus Mortgage in Minnetonka, the company she was working with, suggested checking into a housing grant from the CLCLT. Towler met with program director Staci Horwitz and found out how a land trust grant can increase purchasing power and lower the mortgage amount, making homeownership more affordable.
Last spring, Towler completed the application process, which required her to attend an orientation session as well as a Home Stretch home-buyer workshop through the Minnesota Homeownership Center. She qualified for the CLCLT Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP).
'Livable' and 'reasonable'
Towler excitedly called her agent, Michele Wiegand of River Realty. Now they could explore a wider pool of homes listed for up to $120,000 in Minneapolis. "I felt like a door had opened," she said. "I could look at houses that were livable, reasonable and nice."
After going to just five open houses, Towler found the right fit. "It was a big, strong house on a hill," she said of the sunny yellow-painted residence built in 1917 near Windom Park. "I could look beyond the stains in the carpet and see its potential."
Although the property lacked a driveway and garage, the yard was big, and she could store stuff in a back-yard shed.
When Towler made an offer on the home, she also sent a letter to the 70-year-old owner, who had lived there his entire life. "I told him that I wanted to raise my son in this neighborhood and make the house my own," she said.
That sealed the deal.
After renting cramped spaces that cost more per month than her house payment, Towler appreciates every extra foot in her house. The kitchen is twice the size of past rentals and has plenty of storage space. The previous owner left her an antique dresser, which she painted and uses to house her baking equipment. "I finally have room to bake cakes and make lasagna," she said. "My last place only had one counter."
Off the kitchen is a three-season porch, where she has breakfast. "It's a perfect place to read a book and watch Drew play in the yard when he gets older," she said.
Of course, Towler has a lengthy to-do list, including stripping paint off the oak woodwork and trim. Already, she's torn out the stained white carpet to reveal hardwood floors in the living room. In the bedroom, she's repainted the pink walls a vibrant turquoise.
Towler is relishing the many freedoms of homeownership. "I can hammer a nail at midnight and sing songs with my son at 5 in the morning," she said. "And no one will kick me out."
Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619