- Breanna Dill, a veteran of the Marine Corps, grew up in trailer parks as a teenager.
- When she became a mother, she was determined to give her son a different life.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Breanna Dill, 37, about her journey of becoming a homeowner as a single mother using a no-down payment loan backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I was born in Minnesota and lived there until I joined the Marine Corps in 2008.
When I was growing up, my family never owned a home — we lived in trailer parks and duplexes. I was always moving and I never felt like I had a place of my own.
When I became a mother, I wanted to be a homeowner so I could ensure that my son — who has high-functioning autism — had a better childhood than mine. The road to homeownership wasn't easy. I have made many sacrifices along the way but being able to give my child a sense of security is worth it all.
Saving for a home purchase was tough as a single mother
In January, I began my home buying journey. I was working for the US government and receiving additional money from the Department of Veteran Affairs for a disability. At that point, I had managed to save up $3,000 for a down payment.
During that time, I was living in a quaint 1,100 square-foot home in Austin, Texas, that cost $1,800 a month. It was a good temporary home but it just wasn't for us — I knew I could do better.
I was going to continue renting in Austin while I saved up more money for a home purchase. However, housing prices were getting increasingly higher in the area. The population in the neighborhood where my son and I lived had grown dramatically and the homes and apartments were becoming overpriced.
My rent increased by $100 a month during this time period, which made it even more difficult for me, as a single mother, to pay for housing, provide for my son, and budget for a home purchase. Every time I felt like I was getting ahead, something came up.
I began to feel stuck where I lived.
Finding the right home comes with ups and downs
In April, I decided that I wanted to leave the Austin area and began looking for homes in Houston, a market I heard was reasonably priced but also had good schools for children with autism.
That month, I found a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom home listed online for $568,000. I put an offer on the home and it was accepted by the owners. However, three days before closing an appraiser with the Veterans Affairs inspected the home and informed me that its asking price was $105,000 more than what the home was actually worth.
The situation made me realize just how competitive the housing market was in Houston — it also made me want to give up on buying a home.
I made a post in a Facebook first-time homebuyers group explaining how discouraged I felt about the process. A friend of mine encouraged me to start looking for homes in the Dallas area.
Just two days after the home in Houston fell through, I found a new real estate agent in Dallas who helped me find an affordable three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that was listed below my budget of $680,000.
I was living three hours away in Austin, so I couldn't physically see the home. Although I only saw photos and FaceTime videos of the property, I put in an offer. It was accepted immediately and I went on to purchase the house with a VA home loan for a little bit under $500,000.
I was able to afford the purchase with the money I saved up, in addition to funds I received from streaming online in my free time. I also sold things I thought I could purchase later like furniture, clothes, and electronics.
I broke away from the cycle of renting
I have three adult brothers and one sister, but only two of us own homes.
I grew up thinking the American dream of homeownership was about a white picket fence, a nice house, and a big green yard — but that's not the case. It's about all the steps you take in between to find the right home.
While it's become extremely difficult to achieve homeownership in the United States it is still possible. I was scared during my home buying journey, and there were times that I wanted to give up but I persisted. That is a big deal to me.
I worked so hard to get to this point. I have sacrificed materialistic things like doing my nails, getting my hair done, and buying new clothes. I've also missed out on family gatherings and pursuing relationships — all so I could save money to buy a home.
It's all been worth it to break the cycle of renting in our family. I plan to invest in other real estate properties and teach my son more about housing. I believe it will launch his future in a positive direction.