Pittsburgh native Vanessa Jordan started considering homeownership in 2018, but when she found out she was pregnant with her daughter in 2021, the wheels really started turning.
“When I got pregnant, I was like, ‘Man, I really want to have a house for my daughter,’” she said.
The fire was lit, but Jordan wasn’t sure if she could make it work. Though she works full-time as a technical claims specialist for UPMC, money is still tight. She started working overtime to build up her savings.
“I was living paycheck to paycheck,” she shared. “Nobody ever sat me down and said, ‘You should be saving; you should be doing this,’ so I went into the situation blind.”
Helping Homeowners Get — and Stay in — Homes
After searching and almost buying a home on her own, Jordan’s realtor recommended she reach out to Catapult for additional support. She joined the first cohort of our homeownership program in 2019, which walked her through the process of purchasing a home, from building credit to what to look for in a mortgage.
In 2023, Jordan also joined Catapult’s new Revitalizing Neighborhoods & Increasing Homeownership program, a partnership with the PA Housing Finance Agency which provides financial assistance for first-time homebuyers as well as financial coaching.
Both programs emphasized not only how to buy a home but also what to do once you are in it.
“A lot of people get help from these kinds of programs, and then they get a house they can’t afford,” Jordan noted. “In the RNIH program, they shared a bunch of information that was very valuable about how to safeguard your assets. They opened up my eyes to a lot, and it made me not really touch my money.”
Making it to the Closing Table
When Jordan found another home in Braddock that met her needs last year, she felt fully prepared to make an offer. The three-bedroom house was only eight minutes from where she was living in Homestead and had a finished basement she could use as an office, not to mention a big yard for her daughter.
Through RNIH, Jordan received $17,000 to put toward her down payment and closing costs. The additional funds enabled her to get new carpet, landscape, pay her movers, and more — all without draining her savings or going into debt.
After a more than four-year journey, finally making it to the closing table was a surreal moment.
“I really was pinching my skin telling myself, ‘Am I really doing this?’ I was just so proud that I made it happen,” she said.
Her advice for others considering homeownership? Buy responsibly.
