Ilse and Jomar started their homebuying journey more than five years ago amid a global pandemic. Figuring they could put what they spent for rent each month into a mortgage for a home of their own, the couple educated themselves about the process, overcame several setbacks, and recently achieved their dream when they bought a brand-new condominium in Lowell.

The couple, who are engaged to be married, purchased their new home using a MassHousing Mortgage with Down Payment Assistance, and grants from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's Lift Up Homeownership and the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance's STASH programs. Their new home is part of a 32-unit condominium community that was recently developed through MassHousing's CommonWealth Builder program.

After unlocking the door to their new home for the first time, Ilse and Jomar felt a rush of different emotions.

"I came to the house first with a feeling of security that all this was ours but also with a little bit of shock that we did this," said Ilse, who is an assistant admissions director for a college in Boston. "It was a couple of months of stress [during the loan closing process] and then tears and joy at the same time."

Jomar is in his last semester at an area college earning his engineering degree, and is also working two jobs. He said he became reflective as he looked around their new home. 

"Walking into this home, I wanted to reflect on the journey we made to get here," he said. "I'm in school and working two jobs, and there were a lot of roller coasters. Looking back five years, I thought, 'wow we really did this this.' I had to really appreciate this and give us kudos that we were able to do this as a team with my fiancé."

Ilse and Jomar are quick to note that they could never have achieved their dream without the help and support of Cathy Mercado and the staff at the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (MVHP). 

"They were crucial in the process," said Ilse. "Without their support and education and resources, we wouldn't be able to be here. They had faith in us. They were our biggest cheerleaders."

Jomar said the couple happened to meet Cathy at their gym after he noticed one of her business cards on a bulletin board. "I saw one of her business cards and Cathy came over and said 'if you are looking to buy a home, come see me. We're here to help.' Her optimism is what ignited us and when we reached out, Cathy was the first person we dealt with. When you have someone who has all this knowledge and optimism, it gives you the power to feel like you can do anything."

The couple enrolled in an online homebuyer education course through MVHP, which they found crucial to their success in becoming first-time homebuyers.

"It was really helpful because of how organized it is," said Jomar. "It's very detailed and there are six or seven steps you go through. Without the course, it could have led to a bad outcome with the wrong home or interest rate. The course had us aware of what we had to consider in buying a home and preparing for the steps in the process."

"After we took the class, we started saving," said Ilse, "but we went through some setbacks and so we did a refresh with the course and reconnected with Cathy. She gave us a pat on the back and encouraged us not to give up and we started the process again."

Cathy described Ilse and Jomar as "perfect" homebuyers.

"They really did everything we asked them to do," said Cathy. "They stayed true to the course. They had to make changes in their day to day lives and how they saved money. They were the perfect homebuyers we have dealt with in a long time. They are young and motivated, and we just helped guide them."

Both Ilse and Jomar had lost family members and had to travel out of state, which impacted their savings. In 2021, they refocused their efforts to buy a home.

"It was always our plan to buy a home," said Jomar. "We talked about it many times. Five years ago, I was living with my mom and had to move out. After that moment, I kept saying I want a place for myself. I didn't want to rent. We tried to save as much as possible and here we are after five years of renting. We were giving away money to rent that we are now putting into a home."

The couple had started renting during the pandemic. "We said, 'okay we're going to save,'" said Ilse. "We had some setbacks. We used some savings and then had to start again. It was a series of ups and downs."

After reconnecting with MVHP, the couple restarted their homebuying quest and reacquainted themselves with the knowledge they needed to complete a purchase and gain information about all the programs available to them as first-time homebuyers.

"MHVP told us about all the programs that were available to us," said Ilse. "The STASH program was really well organized and helped us save money."

Cathy said organizations like Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership are crucial to homebuyer success stories like Ilse and Jomar’s because they not only provide homebuyer education and guidance, but they also know about all the programs available to first-time homebuyers.

"That’s how important homebuyer education is," said Cathy. "Agencies like ours are so important because we know about all these programs. It's instrumental in getting people all this knowledge and assistance. Without these programs some of these people won’t be able to buy homes."

The couple obtained their MassHousing Mortgage through Eastern Bank. Reflecting on their homebuying journey, the couple have advice for others who want to buy their own home but think they will be unable to.

"The most important thing is to educate yourself first," said Jomar. "Do the research. Listen to the lessons of the course and gather as much info as you can. Don't worry about how you are going to do it because it's possible once you are in the process. Don't hold yourself back and be afraid to take the chance but educating yourself first is very important."

"The education part is so important," agreed Ilse. "There is a home for everybody, and everybody’s process is different. The class helps you figure out where you are with your savings, your credit and the steps you need to take. When we had our housewarming, we were encouraging all our friends to take a class even if they were not ready to start. Some people were negative, but we learned that the (interest) rates and everything are right when they work for you."

The couple also recommend MassHousing's mortgage products.

"I would recommend MassHousing because the interest rates are really good and affordable," said Ilse. "We see [owning our home] like an investment for the future. We hope to grow our family and now we have something for us. It doesn't hurt when the mortgage bill comes. I'm paying my mortgage for our house. It doesn't hurt as much as paying rent."

Having programs like MassHousing's CommonWealth Builder, which promotes homeownership for first time buyers and fosters wealth building and generational wealth, helps MVHP with its mission, said Cathy.

"Working with CommonWealth Builder and with MassHousing promoting homeownership so that people can create that generational wealth is what we are trying to accomplish here," she said. "We are also a (housing) lottery agency, and we were the lottery agent for this development [where Ilse and Jomar bought their home] so we were involved in their success story all along the way. It's a testament to all the [housing and lending] agencies that work together so that we can have these success stories."

When MVHP helps someone achieve their dream of homeownership, it resonates throughout the entire organization.

"I will speak for all of us here that we are mission driven and our clients come before everything else," said Cathy. "It just feels like a sense of gratitude toward the homebuyer. It's less on how we feel. We are excited for them. Once someone closes, we are always here if they need us. If something comes up, they can come back to us. They continue to be part of our family tree of homeowners."

Ilse and Jomar share the feeling of gratitude now that their homebuying journey ended with them owning their own home.

"It gives us freedom and opportunity. We can do more things," said Jomar. "You feel privileged to have this and everyone else can have this privilege."