After years of aspiration, a West Oak Lane woman has achieved the dream of homeownership with a little-known office's help. Homeownership to Rose Marie Crisp signifies independence and the capacity for personal expression within her domain—it's a milestone marking more than just an economic advancement but a personal and familial evolution. In a statement made on the Philadelphia government's official website, Ms. Crisp expressed her heartfelt sentiment, "This is my first home. (In the past) I either had an apartment, a room, or I lived with people. I never had something that I could call mine."
Ms. Crisp's journey toward homeownership concluded successfully with assistance from the Title Clearance Unit (TCU) at the Philadelphia Register of Wills office. Having inherited a home from her life partner three years ago, her story was previously one of tangled titles—a term used for properties held in limbo due to unaltered deeds. Register of Wills John P. Sabatina, Esq., established the TCU in 2024 to untangle these legal throes, which are preventing numerous Philadelphians from claiming their inheritances.
The work of the TCU is not only altering the lives of individuals like Ms. Crisp, but it's also fortifying the fabric of communities by reinforcing the concept of generational wealth. A statement from Register Sabatina on the official government website emphasizes this: "Homeownership is one of the main ways we can protect our wealth and pass it on to our children. We refer to that as generational wealth, which is absolutely essential for community-building."
Now that Ms. Crisp has obtained the deed to her West Oak Lane rowhome, she is looking to the future with a stable foundation beneath her. She has been collaborating with the office of Councilmember Cindy Bass, finding routes to home improvement incentives and property tax relief programs. According to a statement on the Philadelphia government's website, Ms. Crisp looks forward to her home being a central point for family gatherings, saying, "I’m a family-oriented person. I love to be around my family," and "It’s going to be a family home."
