Krystal Vows at Age 8 to One Day Buy House for Family
When Krystal Hardy-Allen was just 8 years old, she wrote down her goal to one day purchase a home for her parents. Now at age 38, the successful Selma, Alabama businesswoman and author has amazingly brought that childhood dream to life.
In November 2022, Hardy-Allen secretly bought a stunning historic two-story, 4-bedroom property in downtown Selma to gift her parents their first-ever home. She hired her own father, a contractor, to oversee renovations so the house could be move-in ready by January 2023.
“Back in the 3rd grade I wrote it down in an assignment in class that one of the things I wanted to do when I got big and grew up was buy my parents a home,” recounted Hardy-Allen.
But just one week before the big reveal, a devastating tornado struck and destroyed parts of the home. Hardy-Allen remained committed to her vision.
House Rebuilt from Scratch, Family Shocked on Christmas Eve
After months of repairs, Hardy-Allen surprised her parents with the life-changing news on Christmas Eve during a fake open house. The couple was stunned to receive the keys to their fully-furnished, mortgage-free dream home.
“I said somebody’s going to have a good Christmas,” recalled mother Denise Hardy. “Because we was waiting to the people come and view the house not knowing all the time that we were the people.”
The house also makes Denise and Arthur Hardy Sr. the first Black homeowners of the historic Selma property. Their daughter covered all renovations costs as well, unbeknownst to them.
Purchase Represents Daughter’s Definition of Success
For Hardy-Allen, buying her parents their perfect home carries deep personal meaning beyond a monetary value. She had squirreled away savings for years to actualize this goal.
“My success isn’t grounded in the volume of designer items I can accrue…For me, it is centered in the extent of lives touched and substantively changed,” explained Hardy-Allen.
As featured in their first television interview on NBC’s WSFA, the Hardy family continues shedding tears of joy over their newfound stability thanks to the thoughtfulness of their ambitious daughter who turned this long-held aspiration into reality after three decades.
