Ygrene customer

The lifespan of Chrystal Abbott’s 1969 roof had come to an end. “It was basically raining inside my house,” she said of her Bakersfield, Cali. home. The initial quote of $27,000 for a new roof was a tough pill to swallow. “We’re middle class,” Chrystal said. “We have a child in college, two high school boys and a middle schooler—we don’t have extra cash just floating around. So for me to garner $27,000 to get a new roof is a very big deal.”

Greg and Joy Miller of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. were once forced to put up plywood and metal shutters whenever the forecast called for a storm. “Climbing up on ladders to my second story windows is not my favorite thing to do,” Greg said. “I had to do all that work whether the storm came or not.” The couple also sleeps easier knowing that their house is harder to break into. “Those old windows were so dirty and scratched up from a dog that lived here before us,” Joy recalled. “Now the windows are clean and beautiful – it improves the look of the house.

California’s five-year drought left many residents with brown, dry lawns due to watering restrictions. While the drought has officially ended, the outlook for California’s water future is uncertain, and wasteful water practices are still largely prohibited. “The next drought could be around the corner,” Gov. Jerry Brown reminds state residents. “Conservation must remain a way of life.”

Carol López-Bethel moved to Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood in 2012 from Washington D.C., trading her urban dwelling for a tropical three-bedroom. She bought a 1950s post-war house that had all of its original pine ceilings still in mint condition.

Meet Miami Homeowner Ana Isabel Ceballos

When Ana Isabel Ceballos, a single mother of two living in Miami, purchased her home back in 2011, she knew the aging property would need additional work. However, without access to affordable financing, and with numerous other expenses, Ana went years without making the home upgrades she needed most.