Detroit Woman Wins Lottery for House in Wyandotte

The first thing Martina Maracle is going to do when she moves into her new house in Wyandotte is have a barbecue for her and her grandsons.

Maracle, 60, of Detroit, was selected in a lottery drawing to receive a subsidy of more than $67,500 from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MHSDA) for a house at 451 Ford Ave.

MSHDA offers subsidies for home buyers who are well below the area median income and complete eight hours of housing counseling.

Maracle said she is anxious to move her and her grandsons, ages 19 and 21, out of their current home near the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit.

In the past year, Maracle's car was stolen and her grandson was robbed at a gas station near their home.

"It's getting bad there," Maracle said. "That's why I'm happy to get out of there."

Tim Loeckner, real estate agent with Downriver Real Estate Group, helped Maracle with the process, as well as other home buyers.

"A lot of the buyers that were in the program that didn't win the lottery ended up buying other houses through the MSHDA down payment assistance program," Loeckner said.

Loeckner said the program has stimulated the Downriver housing market and provided work for construction companies and real estate agents.

The Maracle house sold for $108,000 of which Maracle is responsible for nearly $40,500. The remainder is a subsidy that Maracle, as long as the home is maintained and owner occupied for 15 years, will not have to repay.

Maracle's house is not yet finished, but she hopes to be moved in by the end of the summer.

"I was excited," Maracle said of winning the drawing. "Very happy."

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