Daniel and Victoria Vallejo ushered in 2024 by celebrating a dream come true...their dream to buy a home. "We were looking for a house on the market," said Daniel. "We have always lived with our family. When we saw the opportunity to apply and the help that they offered, it made it really easy to [decide] to become homeowners."

The Vallejos initially encountered some setbacks, but they still had hope. "They [AHSTI] were able to help us figure out the issues we had in order to be approved for the loan," stated Victoria. "Once we did that, everyone helped us with every opportunity, every next step we needed to do."

Getting approved was just the first hurdle they had to overcome. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the development of the subdivision encountered delays that pushed the completion date out another year. Speedy Trails is the first subdivision in the City of Mission by Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. In addition, the subdivision had garnered attention for its name in honor of Corporal Jose Luis "Speedy" Espericueta, Jr., a Mission police officer who lost his life in the line of duty in June 2019.

"There was quite a bit of pressure to complete this development on time," said Robert Calvillo, AHSTI Executive Director. "We had the groundbreaking in February 2020, and then COVID hit, and everything came to a standstill. The customers applying and wanting to build a home in Speedy Trails had to wait quite a while."

"We had customers calling every few weeks asking about the status of the subdivision development," added Myra Martinez, AHSTI Deputy Executive Director. "Some customers that reserved a lot were waiting about a year before we completed Speedy Trails."

The Vallejos were one of those families. When the opportunity came to change their lot reservation to a home that was being pre-built and would be available quicker, they took advantage of it. As a result, the Vallejo family were the first homeowners in Speedy Trails. They were able to close on their home within a few months of the subdivision completion and spent their first Christmas in their brand-new home.

One week after closing on their new home, the Vallejo family welcomed AHSTI along with the City of Mission and the family of Cpl. Jose Luis "Speedy" Espericueta, Jr. Those in attendance witnessed a special moment as Bobbie Espericueta, the widow of Cpl. Espericueta, spoke about what this moment means for her and her children. "In this moment, I find solace knowing that Speedy's memory will endure through this community and generations to come. “May this subdivision witness the growth of families, the echoes of laughter, and plenty of barbecues just like Speedy loved to do," said Mrs. Espericueta.

Mr. Vallejo has some advice for others looking to become homeowners with AHSTI. "I tell people 100% to go for it. You don't know if you don't try. Everyone that we interacted with was so helpful. The information they provide helps ease the nerves, especially the classes they offer, like money management and new homeowner classes."

"Even though we got discouraged from not being approved the first time, AHSTI didn't stop helping us. They continued to help us to improve what we needed to," added Mrs. Vallejo.

Congratulations to the Vallejo Family on making their dream come true!