An industrious new homeowner of an Industrial Era row house
The first time Carlos Quinones caught a glimpse of the historic brick row house he now calls home—in a property listing photo sent by his realtor in spring 2025—he was sold. Built in 1910, the two-story row house shares walls and a roofline with its neighbors and features original tin ceilings and custom woodwork. It’s also a testament to Holyoke’s rich economic past: The city’s innovative system of canals once fueled booming paper and textile industries, which drove the construction of such worker housing.
“I was working when my realtor texted me and I thought, ‘Wow, this is the place I want.’ I fell in love as soon as I went for the viewing,” said Quinones, who has worked for 26 years as a cook at Holyoke Medical Center. “It needed some work, but I love the area, I love Holyoke. It’s behind the high school I went to. Everything is close by. And the area is very quiet and the neighbors are nice, it’s like a community. It’s just a nice place.”
It was also at a nice price. So, it came as no surprise to learn there was already an offer on it. He and his realtor quickly followed suit. Cue the anxiety, the anticipation, the racing mind.
“The house hadn’t even been on the market for a week. I kept thinking, ‘What are the odds that it’s going to be me?’ I remember my realtor gave me a call and said, ‘Am I talking to the new homeowner?’ That was the most exciting moment of my life, when she told me that they accepted my offer,” said Quinones, who lives with his girlfriend and their four-year-old son.
Since closing on his home in June 2025, Quinones has spent every day off—Sundays and Mondays—working on it. Removing wallpaper and painting. Refinishing floors. Fixing his yard.
“I’ve done a lot! The house has a lot of character, which I’ve kept as I’ve remodeled. It’s a labor of love. And a lot of money,” said Quinones. “My last project for now is to replace the kitchen counters. That’s it, now I have to save for next year’s projects.”
If there’s one thing Quinones is especially good at—aside from cooking—it’s budgeting and saving money. He and his girlfriend were diligent about saving for their goal of homeownership, which got pushed out several years following the pandemic. Patience was key, as was education.
“We said, ‘In 2025, we have to get our house already!’” said Quinones, who signed up in early 2025 for Way Finders’ First-time Homebuyer Workshop. “I did Frameworks, the online course, it was all on my phone. I would have loved to have gone in person, but I couldn’t with my job schedule. And then I did follow-up counseling with Homeownership Specialist Mariola Jarzynska, she was awesome from the get-go! She broke down everything with me, always kept in touch with me. Having her in my corner, it was just like having a backup person for support, who wasn’t going to put you down or say negative stuff.”
One of the most important things he learned is how to communicate with professionals—from real estate agents to loan officers—by asking questions and making a connection. And knowing when to let go.
“All of that stuff is in the Way Finders’ education! When you go in real life, it hits you, like, ‘OK, now I’m going through this!’” said Quinones, who ended up parting ways with his first real estate agent. “I could tell he was more interested in high-end sales; in my mind he didn’t want to waste his time with me. I felt very detached from him, every conversation felt negative. So, I looked at list of resources from Way Finders and found another real estate agent. She helped us so much through the whole process, she related to our story and really wanted to help us. We are here because of that!”
On his one day off this summer—taking a break from working on his house—Quinones took time to answer the questions that helped shape this story.
“If I can help somebody else learn from my experiences, why not?” reflected Quinones, who secured his loan through bankESB and took advantage of MassHousing’s downpayment assistance program. “If I could give some advice, it’s to make sure you save up money, you’re going to need it for unexpected things, and you want to have a little breathing room until you get back on track financially. And keep your excitement to yourself and your partner, don’t expose it to everyone, not even family. Because they may start questioning you, they’ve always got opinions. Just keep it to yourself.”
An easy journey? No. But infinitely worth it? Yes.
“Everybody’s happy! My son has more space to play than where we used to live. And that’s the thing you want most, you want a happy family,” said Quinones. “What kept me going all those years is I was tired of paying rent. I wanted to build equity toward my own place and future, so I’ll have something to leave for my son one day. It’s someplace where we can grow together as a family, something he can cherish as he grows. Just knowing, ‘Hey, we have a place, it’s our place, our story.’”
Congratulations to you, Carlos!