An idea popped into Kyle’s head before she opened her eyes on a warm September morning in 2015. She was renting part of her Grandma’s house, but it was being sold. Her mom offered that she could live with her, but this morning Kyle knew that she wanted a place of her own. Breathing in the steam of her first cup of coffee that morning, the idea started taking shape. She wanted a home with a yard for her daughter to play, bedrooms for each of them, space for a real home office, a kitchen where they could cook together, and close to family in Minneapolis.
Kyle works in finance so she knew to start with numbers and called a lender. She had some savings, drafted a budget, and a list of what she wanted in a house. A cousin who is an underwriter for a large mortgage company dangled a huge Friend’s and Family discount that was too good to pass up.
The search began. So many of the houses looked perfect online, and met her criteria, but were 
disappointing in real life. They were too expensive, smaller, or needed too much work. It was discouraging, harder matching her wish list to reality than she imagined. There was a house she had her heart set on, made a low offer since it was on the market several months. The seller said no. At that point she was almost ready to give up. This isn’t how it goes down on HGTV. She thought that if she waited a few months, the right one would pop up. But a charming, 2 bedroom home with a brand new kitchen and bath, a 2 car garage, a yard, a big basement, at the right price, a few blocks from her mom came on the market. It was a perfect fit, and she moved in a few days before Thanksgiving.
Kyle and her daughter settled in, and love their new home. Her daughter is delighted that she has a secret hide out, and the hamster she wanted. The best part of having a home office is that she can be there when her daughter comes home from school. Her mom is so excited that she sends friends over to say Hi, and get a tour of their new digs.
Looking back, getting a loan felt like having a 2nd job with a never ending stream of paperwork. There were days when the clock ticked so slowly that every hour felt like a year. The hardest part was making decisions alone. Her mom was her backup, but she was still stressed.
73% of first time buyers are couples. That leaves 27% who are single. The challenge for singles is that they feel like they are alone on earth making decisions. It’s my job to make sure that they feel protected and I’m their best advocate moving into their new home and new life.
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