Stage 4: Turning Thoughts to Actions
Opportunities and obstacles
Now that you have determined what your ideal neighborhood, house, and assistance look like, it is time to take an inventory of what opportunities are at your disposal and what obstacles must be overcome in order for you to buy a home.
Your list of opportunities will be unique to you. Some examples of things that might be included are:
The following are some examples of obstacles to be overcome:
Examples of Joe’s opportunities and obstacles
Opportunities Obstacles
Lots of people in his circle No credit history
Has saved $500 from wages 8 months left on lease
Proficient at using public transportation Need money for long-
Learning to read term maintenance
Vocational school will donate labor for No experience paying bills
accessibility renovations Probate laws regarding
Mom has offered to help with down payment guardianship
Action planning
Once you have completed a list of opportunities and obstacles, it is time to develop an action plan. Using an action plan will help you and the group break down the complex tasks involved in buying a house into manageable pieces. The plan identifies the exact tasks to be completed and assigns responsibility for completing each task to a specific person. Action plans include everything from completing a loan application, talking to a judge to obtain answers regarding guardianship issues, designing a floor plan for a house, to finding a used lawnmower.
Development of an action plan begins with a discussion of the list of obstacles and the strategies to overcome them. Specific tactics to accomplish tasks that will bring you closer to homeownership are written in a list. Next to each task is written the name of the person responsible for its completion and a deadline for doing so. Before the group members leave, a date is set for the next gathering. Everyone is asked whether there are others who should be invited to the next meeting, or who could be involved in some meaningful way. Achieving the goal of homeownership can be a long process. Some individuals have found it necessary to have between five and fifty meetings before reaching their goals.
Examples of Joe’s action planning
At Joe’s first meeting, he and his planning group developed the following action plan:
Task Who is responsible?
Contact probate court to determine Mom
how to proceed re: guardianship
Ask agency that assists Joe for commitment Ruby
of $100 per month for long-term maintenance
Find someone to move into Joe’s apartment Joe and Joyce
Open a checking account at local bank Joe with Tom’s help
Begin to work on documenting a nontraditional Joe and Pastor Jones
credit history
Develop a budget Joe and Mary
Choose a real estate sales professional Joe and Suzanne
Complete a pre-qualification application Joe and Barb
Arrange for utility bills to be put in Joe’s name Joe and Ruby
Monitoring and revising the action plan
At the next gathering, the action plan and the list of opportunities and obstacles are reviewed. One person should be designated to write down all of the information for the action plan. Next, a new action plan is developed. This process continues until your goal of homeownership is achieved.
Questions for each revised plan
Joe and his planning group met five times before Joe purchased his home. At each subsequent meeting, they reviewed the action plan from the previous meeting. Each member reported on his or her progress. The "opportunities and obstacles" list was also reviewed and revised as needed. The group then developed a new list of tasks to be completed and assigned a specific team member to each task. The following is a list of some of the assignments that group members had:
Each meeting ended with a date being set for the next meeting and with the question, "Is there anyone else we should invite to be part of the group?"
After looking at fourteen houses, Joe found one that met most of his needs. It was located in neighborhood B, which was his first choice. The house was a three-bedroom ranch that needed some accessibility modifications, but had a large fenced-in yard that was suitable for a dog. The house was only one block from the city bus line, and Joe could roll to a nearby convenience/video store. The city park was just six blocks away. Joe’s mom was a short bus ride away, so they could visit one another frequently. The church that Joe attended was a little further away than he would have liked, but a fellow church member lived in an adjoining neighborhood and offered to give Joe rides to church each week.
Checklist
Ö Choose a facilitator.
Ö Decide whom to invite to be part of your planning group.
Ö Complete all profiles.
Ö Organize initial gathering.
Ö Determine how your ideal house, neighborhood, and assistance will look.
Ö Make a list of opportunities and obstacles.
Ö Develop an action plan.
Ö Monitor and revise the plan.
Ö Read Chapter Three.