For Dayton man, timing was right to purchase first house

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DAYTON — At 26, Cody Hughes is a proud first-time homeowner.

“It was one of those things where I was living in apartments and tired of lining someone else’s pockets,” the software analyst and musician said. “I figured the market was just right for me to go ahead and buy some property.”

Hughes started thinking about buying a house two years ago but intensified his search last August. Checking out homes online first, he came across a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single-story abode with a two-car garage in this small Tippecanoe County town. The 1998 structure was a “for sale by owner,” which sped up the process.

He closed on the house sale Dec. 23, and Hughes’ bachelor pad is already coming together: The hardwood-floor kitchen is a manly room with Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and Purdue University Boilermaker football decorations displayed on top of new wooden cabinetry. A Purdue shotski — a snow ski with four shot glasses built into it — is propped in a corner nearby.

“Since I own my own house now, no more girly kitchens. This is a man kitchen,” Hughes decreed.

Hughes took advantage of the previous homeowner’s upkeep. There’s a new water heater and, the coup de grace, a Jacuzzi and swimming pool.

The backyard has just enough room for his two weimaraners — Ditka and Petra — and there is very little grass to cut. The front yard has fresh landscaping with native shrubs and decorative rocks, giving the home an inviting look.

A longtime rock guitarist, Hughes is also in the process of turning one of the rooms into a home music studio.

An Otterbein native and Benton Central High School graduate, Hughes is used to and prefers the small town life. However, he sees Dayton as plenty close to Lafayette. And the Dayton location of Buck Creek Pizza is just a couple of minutes away.

Hughes was able to afford the house with much thanks to a Rural Development Loan instead of a Federal Housing Administration loan. The loan serves as his mortgage and required no down payment. Rural Development Loans have competitive 30-year fixed interest rates, flexible credit guidelines and no maximum purchase limit.