Teacher (and furry pal) new owners of Housing Trust home

LAKEVILLE — A special education teacher at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) is now a homeowner, thanks to the Salisbury Housing Trust.Lexi Ferraro and a friend were painting Saturday morning, while the dog, Agnes Myrtle, helped. Sort of.Ferraro, who has been teaching for five years and is in her second year at HVRHS, said she has always been a renter.Her previous apartment, in Morris, was about $100 less per month on the rental than her mortgage payment.But living in Morris meant a commute of 40 minutes each way.She said she figured she’d save at least $100 on gasoline, and the idea of a 10-minute drive home was very appealing.Ferraro said she attended an informational meeting with the housing trust and decided to take the plunge.She had a good credit score going in, which helped her get approved by the bank for the mortgage. The housing trust helped with the paperwork.“There is no way I could have afforded this without the Housng Trust,” she said.Inge Dunham of the Housing Trust said Ferraro’s is the 11th home either renovated or built by the organization, whose focus is on providing affordable housing for workers, residents and volunteers through private funding.The trust retains ownership of the land; the buyer pays for the home. The idea is to allow people who could not otherwise afford to buy a home in Salisbury the chance to do so. The hope is that this will allow young families and also volunteers with organizations such as the fire company to stay in town.The first step after applying is the mortgage. Once the applicant is approved, the trust gets busy.The trust did considerable renovation to the modest home (Ferraro asked that the street address be withheld). On the floor was a big pile of tools and materials belonging to Ferraro’s father, who rolled up as the interview ended.The house has a working fireplace and a sunporch, which Ferraro said would be her home office.Ferraro said she was excited. Agnes Myrtle, an amiable German shepherd who initially presented as ferocious but quickly reverted to playful, certainly was.Persons interested in applying for a Housing Trust home may request information by emailing salisburyhousingtrust@gmail.com.