An Artist's Journey to Finding an Affordable Home

“I came to Homewise in 2016 and was one year into being a self-employed business owner. I had just moved back to Albuquerque because I could not afford Santa Fe anymore. My sister had just bought a house through Homewise, and we were going
to help each other make a go of it.

I have always been an artist. When I graduated from college, I knew that I could not make a living as an artist so I went through a bunch of different jobs working in galleries, museums, and entry-level teaching jobs. I knew I had to get a Masters degree if I wanted to do anything more in that world. I succeeded in receiving the education I wanted but, unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the economy tanked. I felt lucky to get a job for half the salary I originally expected to receive, but even those were scarce. I had to ask myself ‘What do I want to do?’ I love artists. I want to be around artists. I want to support them, so I started my business as an experiment, and now I’m four years in and it seems like it’s working! There was a period of time where I didn’t know if I could do the work that I wanted to do and own a home.

There was a moment where we tried to see if I could get financed, and the numbers weren’t adding up. But something happened, something very magical. A friend of mine wanted to sell me her house at a moment where suddenly everything came into play. I was eligible for not one, but three down payment assistance programs, and I could not have done this without that help. The grant money I received changed my life. I kept tearing up every time I signed a form and talked about it. I have felt questioned my whole life for the choices I’ve made, for the debt I’ve accrued, for wanting to be around artists and wanting to be an artist. Homewise believed in me and trusted me, and it means I get to keep doing the work that I want to do while enjoying the stability of the home that I own.”

Learn more about our Down Payment Assistance program and find out if you qualify!