Can you purchase a home in State College--and decorate it--affordably? The State College Community Land Trust is hosting an event this weekend to show how you just might be able do both.
This summer, a vacant house on Sunrise Terrace, near downtown State College, was bustling with volunteers painting bare walls, ripping up outdated carpets and landscaping unruly grass
Now volunteers are hanging decorative artwork and moving in platform beds, chandeliers and throw pillows.
Local interior designer Sherry Dershimer is in charge of a small bedroom.
“You know, I’ve thought about the little boy who could live in this room. He’s very real to me. And so, it’s a very tiny room. But where would he read, what would be his perspective?”
This is all for an event called Home Stage, put on by the State College Community Land Trust, a non-profit that promotes affordable home ownership in the borough of State College.
The Land Trust does some work on all the houses it sells, but this house is being prepared for the organization’s first ever “Home Stage” event.
Executive director Ron Quinn says he hopes this exhibition will educate the community about the land trust and its mission.
“A land trust was actually an endeavor that was initiated by the borough itself, when they were looking at options in creating balanced neighborhoods where there were neighborhoods that were not only just student rentals, but they also included single family homes and provided opportunities for people who may have otherwise been priced out of the home ownership market in State College.”
Essentially, it works like this: the land trust buys a house and rehabs it. Then the trust resells just the house to an income-qualified first time homeowner, who then leases the land for about $25 a month. This cuts the selling price significantly. For example, the house that’s being staged on Sunrise Terrace is listed for just over ninety thousand dollars, while similar homes in the area can be sold for twice that price.
Sue Heistler is the chair of the committee that planned the event.
“So at that point, we thought ‘Could we do a staged home, but with a budget friendly thought in mind?’ Since it’s an affordable house, it didn’t seem right to stage it with a $3000 leather sofa in the living room.”
Heistler says the home staging will only utilize affordable, recycled or reclaimed items to showcase how to design big, but on a small budget. In the dining room, there’s a modern chandelier that was bought used for $15. A framed picture from TJ Maxx provides a splash of color. These pieces were provided by the eight designers collaborating on the home.
“And two of the eight are homeowners who have purchased their homes through the Land Trust, but who have a real love and flair for design…”
One of those Land Trust homebuyers is Bryon May.
“I feel very fortunate to be able to be a home owner through the Land Trust, and that’s why I volunteer and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
May was tasked with decorating the front porch.
“I wanted to make the porch inviting, to make someone want to come and sit on the front porch.”
The home is still on the market, but the Land Trust is hoping this open house will help them find the perfect family to move in.
