For Paul and Ashley Herrera, their homebuilding company Mighty Hope Properties is much more than a business – it is the couple’s way of giving back to their community and making the dream of home ownership a reality for people who might otherwise not be able to purchase their own property.
Paul said Mighty Hope Properties was founded on the belief that home ownership is synonymous with hope and added that it was his wife’s experience in mortgage lending that was one of the catalysts for starting their company.
“As a lender, Ashley saw people who had trouble getting loans and she was able to educate them on overcoming hurdles that stood between them and home ownership,” said Paul, who earned a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Angelo State University and was employed with the Drug Enforcement Agency before turning to real estate full-time.
“When we started our family, I wanted to be home a lot more and after seeing how fulfilling Ashley’s experience in the real estate industry was, I dove in full-time, building our first home in San Angelo, before expanding to Abilene,” he said. 
Mighty Hope Properties focuses on building in areas that are, by typical homebuilding standards, deemed less than desirable, due to factors such as the age and condition of surrounding homes and impediments such as lots being situated in flood zones.
While the idea of building these types of homes began in San Marcos – where he heard stories of people being forced out of neighborhoods because of increasing property taxes – Paul said it was his and Ashley’s upbringing that was instrumental in shaping Mighty Hope’s business philosophy.
“Ashley and I know what it’s like to grow up in lower-income families and the limitations that brings in terms of having housing stability. I lived in three different apartments in Abilene and Ashley’s mom and sisters moved around a lot as well,” said Paul, who added that he, his mother and brothers relied on government programs to “have a place to live and food to eat.”
Paul said moving from place to place does little to instill in children a sense of comfort and security. It was this stability that both he and Ashley yearned for growing up that shaped who they are and the kind of business they wanted to build together. 
Those things – even living for a time in local shelters and moving to San Angelo so that his mother could escape an abusive situation – were the foundations of what Mighty Hope Properties would become and were also instrumental in creating the Mighty Hope Foundation, the goal of which is to build a home to give to a deserving family.
“Through the Foundation, we have a lot that we are building on in San Angelo, and we hope to do the same in Abilene,” said Paul, who added that “having a place to call home – especially for kids – is huge.”
“As a kid, I loved going to my grandma’s, because I saw her house as a safe place and that sense of safety and happiness is something that’s really positive,” he said, adding that he and Ashley want to bring that to other families.
At the core of their business is the belief that there is value in underserved portions of the city. Paul said investing in these areas not only makes sense from a business perspective, but instills a sense of community and empowerment in home ownership.
In the neighborhood near Mann Middle School in north Abilene, Mighty Hope Properties purchased seven lots – all in designated 100-year flood plains – that have paved the way for similar lots being purchased by other investors. 
“There is value here,” said Paul. “These homes are selling fast and we hope even more investors and builders can see value in these areas. This is our business, but it goes way beyond the monetary aspect and helps create a sense of pride in these neighborhoods.”
Tammy Spain, who along with her husband Steve and their son, are the proud owners of a Mighty Hope property. She said Paul and Ashley made the start-to-finish process easy and her family “absolutely loves” their home.
“Getting a home of our own was a dream for our family,” Tammy said. “Paul and Ashley were helpful and very courteous. We love the neighborhood – it’s quiet and really nice.” 
It is this commitment to quality and service that makes a Mighty Hope home special. While the properties are priced significantly less than most newly constructed homes, each is built with attention to the highest standards, both in terms of quality materials and aesthetic details.
“We are committed to making sure each home is constructed with the utmost attention to detail,” Paul said. “Each floor plan is a three-bedroom, two bath, with granite countertops, shaker cabinets and vaulted ceilings. All of our homes are made with the highest-quality products and we take a lot of pride in that.”
Not only is the Mighty Hope business model helping families, it is also – on a broader scale – helping neighborhoods. In addition to their homes in north Abilene, the company has plans to purchase lots in older, underdeveloped areas of south Abilene.
“The neighbors appreciate what we’re doing and thank us for making such nice homes,” said Paul, who added that a neighbor even brought a cooler of Gatorade to the people working on one of his homes.
This type of recognition – from homeowners, neighbors and real estate experts – is meaningful to Paul and Ashley, because the more awareness their company and foundation can generate, the more people they can help purchase a high-quality, affordable home.
Abilene real estate broker, Mitch Barnett, agreed that builders and investors shouldn’t shy away from traditionally lower-income, underserved neighborhoods. 
“A lot of people think that just because a neighborhood is older that they can’t build something that is commercially viable,” he said, adding that this willingness to take a chance on such areas is what sets Paul and Ashley apart. “There’s nothing wrong with focusing solely on investing in new neighborhoods, but the fact that Mighty Hope has taken a different path has not only benefitted Paul and Ashley’s business, but is helping build strong neighborhoods and communities.”
Paul agrees that what they are doing is more than building new homes and hopes Mighty Hope Properties, as well as their foundation, will serve as an example to other investors and builders, both in the viability of affordable, high-quality homes, as well as their mission to donate homes to deserving families.
“We hope to show other business people that they can change families, their community their state and even maybe the whole world one home at a time,” he said.
By Molly Hill
Photography By Shayli Anne Photography & Paul Herrera
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