Blitz closing | Women Build | New tips & tricks
Blitz closing | Women Build | New tips & tricks
  February 2023                                                                                           Donate now
Blowing airhorns in front of a house under construction to kick off the event

Watch our Blitz closing ceremony live!

Friday at 3:30 p.m. on Facebook Live

This week was a blur! Join us as we conclude Park Square Blitz 2023, featuring builder Park Square Homes, with a touching ceremony. The builder, their subcontractors, and vendors built a Habitat home in just five days! Now, we will present the home to Fatima and her family.
Join the Facebook event

Meet our Women Build 2023 homeowner

Melissa's story: After losing everything to Hurricane Ian, the promise of Habitat home keeps her ‘moving forward’

The Disney employee and mother to three boys has remained remarkably positive since her apartment flooded. It’s partly because she was close to a new start — closing on her Habitat house. Knowing that a safe, secure, and spacious home with an affordable mortgage was just within reach has kept Melissa focused on creating a better life for her kids.
“It’s just stuff,” she said, “and at the end of the day, there’s always something better to hold on to until things get better. We still have each other.”
Join us to celebrate Women Build all March, highlighting Melissa's story of perseverance along with more of our strong women homeowners on our website.
Keep reading

Welcome home, Tanisha!

Orlando Magic joined us to dedicate Tanisha's home

Last year, the Orlando Magic joined us to build a home for Tanisha and her family. On Jan. 31, Magic and Advent Health leaders including STUFF the Magic Mascot joined Habitat homeowner Tanisha and her children to celebrate that dream becoming a reality with a key dedication ceremony. 
Her family’s home is the 12th that the Magic have partnered to build with us since 2010.

Keep reading

Join us at our inaugural charity golf tournament

We're hosting the Homes Fore All Golf Tournament to raise money to help families in our community purchase safe and affordable homes. We have corporate sponsorships and foursomes available.
Learn more about our sponsorship levels and reserve your spot today!
Learn more

Watch: Home for the Holidays recap

Relive this amazing two-week build of Ebony's home

For the third year in a row, Williams Company joined us to build a home in just two weeks for a family during Home for the Holidays 2022.

The local construction company, along with their subcontractors and vendors, donated all the labor and materials to build a home for Ebony and her family in Orlando’s Holden Heights neighborhood.

Watch

Busy on the build site

Thank you to our January Team Build sponsors Travelers Insurance, Enterprise Holdings, and Orlando's favorite basketball team, Orlando Magic.
This month we're excited to welcome teams from Liberty Mutual, Greystar, Woods, Ravago and Frank Gay.
Learn more

Habitat homeowners treated to 'Wicked' 

Broadway's 'Wicked' returned for a community giveback initiative at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this month. Over two performances, 500 beneficiaries across Central Florida - including 50 of our own homeowners and their families - experienced an interactive pre-show experience, catered lunch from the Dr. Phillips Center's in-house chef, and finished off the afternoon with the magical musical. Generous corporate sponsors and private donors donated more than $100,000 to fund this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We're seeking land 

Land is a critical need for us. Selling your unwanted land will help us continue our mission to build energy-efficient homes with affordable mortgages. The land stays locally owned in the neighborhood you love and gives hardworking Central Florida families a foundation to build their futures.
Learn more
Editor's Note: We're excited to introduce two new sections to this e-newsletter that feature homeownership information and DIY home maintenance tips curated by our Programs and Construction departments. Let us know what you think by replying to this email!

NEW! Homeownership Tips

Budget your tax refund

This is the time of year millions of people file their taxes in hopes of receiving a tax refund. Extra money is always exciting, but most of us spend the money on the newest electronics or a getaway. Taking time to budget your tax refund should become a norm. Instead of spending your return, here are a few suggestions:
  1. Create an emergency fund
  2. Send it to savings
  3. Pay off debt
  4. Fund your escrow account for possible insurance and tax increases
  5. Fund your retirement
  6. Create a college fund for your child
  7. Prepay your mortgage
  8. Buy life insurance
  9. Make needed home improvements

File for your homestead exemption by March 1

Having a homestead exemption reduces your property taxes on your primary residence. The homestead exemption application must be submitted by March 1, and once approved, your exemption renews annually.

The benefits of having a homestead exemption:
  • A homestead exemption reduces homeowners' state property tax obligation.
  • The exemption can help protect a home from creditors in the event of a spouse dying or a homeowner declaring bankruptcy.
  • The provision provides surviving qualifying spouses with ongoing property tax relief in certain states.
Learn more & file

NEW! Construction Corner

Do's and don'ts to save your plumbing

Did you know that simple maintenance routines can save you hundreds of dollars in plumber fees and other repair costs?

DO:  

  1. Clean the filter at the top of your hybrid hot water heater every 3-6 months to keep your unit functioning well.
  2. Regularly inspect cabinets underneath faucets and behind/underneath your refrigerator to verify no plumbing fixtures are leaking. Even minor leaks can ruin your cabinets and eventually your floors and walls if left unresolved.   
  3. Learn how to shut off your water, both at each plumbing fixture and at the main shut-off valve outside your home.   

DON’T: 

  1. Put more than very small food remnants through your garbage disposal. Putting larger food scraps or other items in your garbage disposal will break the unit and cause your plumbing to clog. 
  2. Flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet to prevent clogs and broken fixtures that are costly to repair.   
For more tips on the care and maintenance of your plumbing, watch our YouTube video.

Sponsor spotlight: 

First Horizon Foundation

We are so thankful for their recent donation that will help Central Florida families achieve lasting housing and financial stability! Their generous support will help us build affordable homes and provide financial literacy education. Thanks for working alongside us as we change lives for the better and build up our community!

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