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Veronica Carlton celebrated paying off her mortgage after 20 years with a "burn the mortgage" cookout.

Carlton built her home through Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that helps families build and afford homes.

When Veronica Carlton made her final mortgage payment June 10 on her home where she has lived for 20 years, she immediately called up friends and family to celebrate.

"I went out and bought food, called my nieces, daughter and friends and said, 'I'm having a burn the mortgage cookout,'" Carlton said in the home she helped, literally, build through Habitat for Humanity. "We cooked food and played music and had a good time laughing and talking."

The tidy two-bedroom blue house, meticulously maintained, sits on the corner of Blanton Street.

She still has the

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