About Irene Mabry Moses -- "Million Dollar Agent" Helping the Poor and the Homeless Find and Buy Their Own Homes:

When Irene Mabry Moses first decided to become a real estate agent, she had no idea that she had finally found her calling: to help the poor take control of their financial futures and own their own home. Today, countless families and individuals can thank Irene for giving them hope and for helping to materialize their dreams of home ownership.

Irene's mission is no surprise, given her background. Irene grew up in the projects of Norfolk Virginia, the second of seven children. She married her high school sweetheart and was ready for a long happy marriage. When her husband came back from Vietnam, however, he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which quickly turned into a drug problem. "I tried to make it work, but it just couldn't work out", Irene says. After 12 years of trying, she finally decided to leave him. Without the financial stability that they needed, Irene and her two children had to move into a shelter for the first six months. "I didn't tell anyone in my family because I was embarrassed," Irene recalled "I just kept praying to God 'please help me to find my way out of this. Help me to find the direction I need to serve you.". She found that direction with the simple suggestion of a friend: Go into Real Estate. And so she did and, within a year, she became the top selling agent in her company.

Irene was naturally inclined to focus on helping the poor, in particular, to find and own a home of their own. "With me and where I come from, I can relate to them and tell them the truth."

She first became aware of the challenge that many people face in buying a house when she was asked to teach a course on home buying. Many people had no idea of the process of buying a home, and many others didn't even know that they could qualify because of their financial situation.

Many of her clients had challenges with debt, in particular. They didn't know how to clear up their issues to qualify for a mortgage. Irene would often go to bat for her clients, personally negotiating better rates and getting her clients qualified. "I know how people really don't look at those with problems. When you've been there, you know what it is." She educates her clients, teaching them about budgeting, she'll negotiate with housing-related service providers (i.e.: home inspectors), she's even been known to not take a commission so that the client can get the deal done. Deeply religious, she has often prayed with her clients before a day of house hunting or in the midst of preparing a loan application. "Lord," she'll say, "we need you to touch the hearts of the people who can approve our loan, the hearts of the people who can accept our contract." She passionately shares such nuggets of wisdom as "Just because you qualify, don't go out and buy it, because you'll be eating tunafish for the rest of your life".

Today Irene faces bigger challenges in the Baltimore housing market because the housing prices have risen significantly. "It's incredible what people will try and sell you these days," she says, "They take these run down houses, put some paint on the walls, and cover the termite infested floors with carpet. You walk on the floor and you can feel how soft it is! And then they want to sell the house for hundreds of thousands of dollars. They're just waiting for the buyer who doesn't see what's wrong." Irene will not let her clients buy a run down house. "Often times, they just won't have the money to fix it." she says. The job of finding affordable homes may be tougher and the search longer, but Irene pushes on in the search for the right home for her client.

"I really believe in my heart that God places me in these situations with these people because it's always the worst cases...But the complicated ones are more exchiting to me because your doing something to help somebody."

Irene's company can be found here:

Faith Realty

Irene's charity of choice is Tri-Churches Housing. To donate to this organization, please click here:

Tri Churches Housing

You can find articles on Irene Mabry Moses here:

People Magazine: Agent of Hope

Baltimore Sun: Agent of God's Work Finds Homes for Poor

Realtor Magazine: Performing Urban Miracles

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