b'Prepared and Ready to Become Homeowners D I N G H ON MIF EWorking with Camille EstrellaBY ELLEN DONKERWe felt very comfortable asking ques- Almostoneyearin,Dennisand tionsasking really silly questions andTramaine reflect on their new haven. cornyquestionsandimportantques- They love that the house has a great tions. And you know, she was very pa- back yard for their dog, Ms. Samsun, tient with us. We were able to knockand space in the neighborhood to walk out a lot of those early questions withher and greet other dogs and their own-her before even looking at homes.ers. As artists, they see beauty in the Armed with a budget and an idea oflush greenery and delight hearing the the house they wanted, Estrella showedneighborhood alive with children. And them about 12 homes over the courseat last Den-of a month and a half. It was a housenishasa inMaplewoodthatgrabbedthem,place to flex though. The four-bedroom, three-bathhergarden-home hit everything on our wish list,ing muscles S ometimes you just know when its time to make a movewhensays Tramaine. I liked the color; thewhileo en- Ms. Samsun enjoys hav-neighbors seemed cool. When we firstjoyingthe drove up, I saw a black American flagsurpriseof on the street. And that made me feelheirl om the research, thoughts and conversation all come together forgood immediately. She continues, Itplantingsing the run of the yard.confirmation. For Ashley Dennis and Genesis Tramaine, thatalways feels good to move into a neigh- that pop up in the spring. time became obvious during the winter of 2021 when they de- borhoodwheretherearepeoplewhoThe location of the house also suits cided to buy their first home together. Though society was stilllook like you. It met our needs on thethem. Theyre close to the stores at which in the grip of the pandemic, Tramaine says, We were just reallyinside of the home and on the outside.they like to shop. Tramaine adds that ready to have our own space in the world, ready to connect on aWith the real estate market so hot,they still get to engage with our com-different level as homeowners.Estrella knew she had to take immedi- munity efforts in Newark, which is also The couple had already done their homework. Two years earlier, Tramaineate action to make the sale happen. Sheimportant to us. Were part of a church had contacted realtor Luis Estrella through his Facebook page and had an infor- calledRobertNorthfield,thelistingin Newark. You know, we have a very mative conversation that helped educate them on the housing market and theagent, and reached him at the airport.easy commute between home and work, buying process.Two minutes before his flight took off,and our volunteer spaces. When Dennis and Tramaine decided to press go, Luis connected themthe realtors had an agreement to move with realtor (and wife) Camille Estrella. The couple talked about their real es- ahead with the sale. Within two days, tate goals and Estrella provided them with a homebuyer guide that included athehousewasundercontract,and New Jersey real estate timelinesix weeks later, Dennis and Tramaine fromconsultationtoclosing.closed on it. They found it invaluable. Tra- Thecouplearethankfultheir maine says, The guide that shejourneytoowningahomewentso gave us was really instrumentalsmoothly.Tramainesays,Werere-in helping to keep communica- ally, really fortunate to work within a tion clear.space where Camille knows the com-Estrella says that the couplemunity, she knows the ins and outs of were definitely on the same pagehomeownership and the home buying withtheirwantsandneeds,process, and it helped to sort of be able Ashley Dennis and Genesis Tramaine are enjoy- communicatingtheirnon-ne- to lean on someone who was as knowl- Camille Estrella helped Dennis and ing getting to know their new neighborhood.Tramaine navigate the homebuying Photo by Stafford Timothy Woods. gotiables clearly. Tramaine says,edgeable as she was." process.22/ matters magazine / spring 2022'