Since beginning her homebuyer journey, Carrie Hipps has shown incredible resilience and determination, leading her towards buying her forever home.
After going through a divorce in 2023, Carrie, like many others, found it difficult to afford decent housing on her own—even a small apartment was too expensive in Seminole County. Once her divorce was final, Carrie moved in with her parents with a goal of recovering financially and a hope to one day be able to buy her own home.
Carrie works as a co-director at a childcare center. Her employer provided her and others with several financial literacy resources, including Habitat for Humanity’s Financial Academy. After signing up and attending every class, Carrie graduated with a deeper understanding of budgeting, saving, and debt management. She left motivated and empowered to become a successful homebuyer.
Following her completion of Financial Academy, Carrie worked closely with Habitat Housing Counselor, Lori Rivera, to improve her credit score, reduce her debt-to-income ratio, and pay down her debt. Together they tracked Carrie’s expenses, identified areas for saving, and implemented strategies like meal planning to make budgeting more manageable. Now, with improved financial stability and a clear vision for her future, Carrie is overjoyed to take the next steps towards homeownership.
Once Carrie moves into her new home, she plans to foster children, with the vision that she will be able to provide them with a stable home, as well. Carrie is excited to be able to host gatherings with friends and family at her new home. She looks forward to giving back to the community and to the important people in her life who helped her reach this milestone.
