Joe came to Nantucket with the Coast Guard in June 2006. From the start, he loved it here, and relished the small town life. He made friends quickly, and integrated into the community as a member of the Freemasons and the Anglers Club. An avid fisherman, Joe took advantage of the range of opportunities for boating, shell fishing and hunting. Joe had a daughter on-island- Madison, who is now 12. Madison meant the world to him, and while his relationship didn’t work out with Madison’s mother, Joe knew he wanted to remain close by. So, when Joe’s tour ended, he decided to stay on Nantucket.

“I lived with Madison’s mother for a short period,” said Joe. “After that, I lucked out through a connection with Micki Perry and the Montessori School. They rented me one side of their duplex, and I’ve lived there ever since. I hear my friends’ nightmarish stories of moving every year, and I feel very fortunate.”

With a reasonable rent, Joe worked hard and saved money for a down payment. He held various positions with the Town at the airport and public schools, and currently works as a lineman for National Grid. Trained as a marine mechanic in the Coast Guard, Joe helps locals and summer residents awith their boats. He has contributed in a variety of ways to the community, from coaching his daughter’s basketball team at the Boys and Girls Club, to helping stock local ponds with trout.

When Joe first heard about Housing Nantucket’s Covenant Program, he didn’t think it was for him. He didn’t realize the price cap allowed for appreciation of the home, and that the price was negotiated between the buyer and seller. When a friend mentioned he was selling land through the Covenant program, Joe gave it a second look. He realized that if he purchased the Covenant land, he could build a new modular home for far less than he could buy anything on the open market.

“Covenant homes offer a lot more flexibility for an average islander who works hard, but a market rate house is out of reach,” Joe said. “I made too much to qualify for a 40B home, but I couldn’t afford a million dollar house, even one of the cheaper ones. Covenant homes fill a gap in the market. You get a lot more bang for your buck.”

Joe completed Housing Nantucket’s online Homebuyer Education program, and applied for closing cost assistance from the Town of Nantucket. In early April, he bought the Covenant lot from his friend, and a Dreamline modular home was delivered to his lot on June 4th.

Modular homes like Joe’s are built on a factory assembly line in sections, or boxes. The boxes traveled over the road (and across the Nantucket Sound) to the site. Once placed on the foundation, the boxes are completely weather tight within 24 hours. From there, it’s about 10-14 more weeks until completion. Follow us on social media to see progress pictures all summer.

“This couldn’t have been a more crazy time to build a house,” said Joe. “Even during all the madness of COVID, this process went very fast. To people who are considering the Covenant Program, don’t sell yourself short. Get informed. Talk to everyone about it. You never know, someone might be looking to sell off a cottage or subdivide a piece of their land. Ask around.”

“There’s a large network that makes the island a great place to live. Now I really feel a part of that! Nantucket has given me so much. I want to give back as much as I can. What goes around comes around.”

The Nantucket community relies on essential workers like Joe to keep us going. In order for our essential workers to live on-island, quality affordable housing must be available to meets their family’s needs. The Covenant program fills that gap in the market. If you have a dwelling or land that may be eligible for the Covenant Program, click here to learn more about the process with our Covenant roadmap.