

Everyday Heroes
Ryan and Valeria were once lost after trying different routes to search for a home. "…We were looking around for homes the more traditional way where you see an ad on Zillow or something, even look around if there's a for sale sign," said Ryan. The sign was in front of them the whole time: Valeria's father.
Her father, an Affordable Home of South Texas, Inc. (AHSTI) homeowner since 2013, shared his experience with AHSTI and encouraged Valeria and Ryan to pursue their dream of buying a home. "He talked to me about the process, how it was really simple, and how he liked his counselors who helped him with all his finances. He was also renting before that. So, he explained that it wasn't as daunting as we felt it could be. He gave us a pep talk about it, and we ended up going to AHSTI."
Most of us can relate to struggling financially due to debt, and for Ryan and Valeria, that struggle presented itself as student loans and credit card debt. "Our biggest thing [when we went to AHSTI] was our debt…our credit card debt and student loan debt. Working with Janie [Vela], our counselor helped us. She would set up our budgeting and our expenses and look at them." Janie Vela, a HUD Certified Homebuyer Advisor and AHSTI's Director of Homebuyer Development was a cornerstone that helped Ryan and Valeria achieve their dream and is proud of the work Ryan and Valeria would put in. "Valeria & Ryan worked so hard, every month completing one task after another, they were determined to be successful homeowners."
Working with a HUD counselor also helps to paint a realistic picture of your finances. Valeria shares, "That's also what helped a lot was seeing…like visualizing exactly. Putting a dollar amount exactly to what you're spending and knowing that you don't need to spend that much on stuff like that. That's another thing that helped us save a lot of money to buy the house we have now."
It's not just one person who helped them get the keys to their home, but a team as well. Ryan and Valeria shared their experience with AHSTI as a whole. Valeria said, "We loved, from my dad, that he said that they were very kind, very understanding, that they can work with everything that you have on your plate, that they were willing to help with classes like the homebuyer's classes. Just great people at AHSTI; I have never felt judged or brushed away."
Ryan was awestruck as he shared, "And yet it's so simple that, you know, someone like us who had no idea how to buy a home…we understood everything and anything. There were people there to answer our questions. So that was the biggest thing: the accessibility to buying a home. They make it so easy, and we appreciate that."
Thank you, Ryan and Valeria! Welcome to the AHSTI Family! We look forward to seeing you growing in your new home!
The younger generation is making their homeownership dreams come true
AHSTI Administration Building
1420 Erie Ave
McAllen, TX 78501
Ph: 956-687-6263
FX: 956-682-9751
AHSTI Homeownership Center
500 S. 15th St.
McAllen, TX 78501
Ph: 956-687-6263
Fx: 956-687-9751
NMLS# 346848
AHSTI Construction Services Building
514 S. 16th St.
McAllen, TX 78501
Ph: 956-67-6263
Fx: 956-687-9751
AHSTI Weslaco Branch
134 W. 5th St.
Weslaco, TX 78596
Ph: 956-447-8909
Fx: 956-447-8904
NMLS# 1153660
AHSTI Fred Munguia Training House
510 S.10th St.
McAllen, TX 78501