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Elgin home built in 25 days to mark 25th anniversary

After three attempts to qualify as a homebuyer was followed by a yearlong wait, Sheena Perez of Elgin saw her first home being built in a mere 25 days.

That's because the 25th anniversary of Habitat for Humanity Northern Fox Valley was Friday, when Perez formally purchased the four-bedroom, two-bath ranch house on Elma Avenue during an event that included a house tour, blessing and mortgage signing ceremony.

"We had waited so long for it," said Perez, who plans to move in this weekend with her fiance and six children. "I want this for my kids. I want stability and a fresh start for them. I want them to have a place to call home."

Perez has been a great partner, putting in much more than the required 250 hours of "sweat equity" or volunteer work to help build her home, said Barbara Beckman, executive director of the organization.

"The 25-day blitz build" of Perez's house was made possible by the work of almost 300 volunteers and about 30 students of Maine East High School, who built the walls as part of classroom work, Beckman said.

"To mark our 25th anniversary, we wanted to do something special," she said. "We ended up settling on what we feel we do best, and something that would produce a home for a family."

Perez said it's been a long road to get here, starting with getting married at age 16 and going through a bitter divorce that left her financially struggling for years.

"Just looking back at the years and remembering that I didn't have anything - I had a bed and clothes, no living room or dining room - it's a big accomplishment," said Perez, who works as a phlebotomist in Elgin. "I'm at a loss for words."

This is the first new construction project in the last six years for Habitat for Humanity Northern Fox Valley, which after the housing crisis focused on renovating bank-owned foreclosed homes, Beckman said.

The lot on Elma Avenue was purchased by the organization three years ago after a previous home was destroyed by a gas explosion. The agency plans to build three homes and overhaul 10 homes this year, she said.

Usually volunteers work one or two days a week over the course of nine to 12 months to build homes, but the process was sped up to five days a week for Perez's home, Beckman said. The quality of construction and the safety of volunteers wasn't compromised in any way, she said.

"The inspection, the appraisal, the survey, the title company - somehow we managed to pull it off."

The agency has built homes in Elgin, Carpentersville, St. Charles, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Streamwood.

Application criteria for future homeowners includes housing need - such as if people live in overcrowded environments - and ability to pay the 30-year interest free mortgage. For example, a family of four needs to make between $32,000 to $42,000 to qualify. Also, future homeowners must put in 250 hours volunteer work, but half that can be done by family and friends, Beckman said.

Much of the agency's funding comes from ReStore at 800 N. State St. in Elgin, a home improvement outlet store whose merchandise is donated by manufacturers, distributors and homeowners.

  Sheena Perez walks through what will become the master bedroom of her new home in Elgin. Perez, her fiancee and her six children will move in this weekend. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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