Ten years of renting, then a home of their own: Ryan and Vanessa's story
Ryan and Vanessa rented for a decade and thought buying was out of reach. What changed, how fast it moved, and what they would tell others.
Where did Ryan and Vanessa start?
Ryan and Vanessa spent a decade renting and watching the rent climb, convinced homeownership was out of reach. Prices felt discouraging, the mortgage process looked overwhelming, and their credit worried them.
How did they feel before they started?
They described how they felt in three words: overwhelmed, scared, hopeless. They believed their finances were not good enough, their credit was holding them back, a mortgage would cost far more than rent, and the process would be too hard to navigate. They had never even talked to a lender.
"We always thought trying to get a home of our own would be a couple years more out of our reach, or not really in our reach at all." (Vanessa)
What was the turning point?
Ryan saw a Facebook ad for the webinar, and they almost did not attend. "I was like, I don't know if this is actually real," Vanessa said. They signed up hoping to learn about zero-down options, since they did not have much saved.
On the webinar, they learned about a zero-down loan option offered through Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) lending, something they had no idea existed.
"We finally realized, okay, we can actually buy a home with zero to no money down. It was the hope we needed." (Ryan)
What did guidance through the process look like?
"Bradley was there from the first step we took. Any question I had, he was there to answer. He knew exactly how to describe everything in context for brand new homeowners." (Ryan)
It was not always smooth. There were moments of doubt, the numbers got tight, and they nearly gave up. "Bradley kept saying, 'Don't worry about this, let's keep pushing, don't give up,'" Vanessa said. The lender they worked with, in her words, "held our hand just like Bradley did."
How quickly did it move?
After a couple of weeks of initial conversations, they found their home, and closed within about a month of finding it. Their purchase came together with:
- No down payment
- Closing costs covered through seller concessions
- A rate buydown
- A monthly payment only slightly higher than their rent
What does home mean to them now?
"It never felt right calling any of our rentals 'home' until we actually got a home. Now we can call our home home." (Vanessa)
What would they tell someone on the fence?
Do it. 100% do it. You're gonna leave knowledge and education on the table.
"I never felt sold. We felt like we were guided 100% of the time." (Ryan)
And the honest part
Ryan and Vanessa's experience is their own. Results vary, and their timeline, loan terms, concessions and payment are not a promise or prediction for anyone else. Zero-down options, concessions and rate buydowns depend on the program, lender, property and seller. This is general education, not a commitment to lend.
Still on the fence?
The two-minute quiz narrows the list to the options worth a closer look for someone in this position.