The Almanac featured four teachers' stories about housing in the Bay Area. One of the educators interviewed was Landed homebuyer Teresa Yeager, an employee of Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California.
Pictured: Teresa Yeager enjoying a book in the comfort of her new home. Photo courtesy of The Almanac.
“High school teacher Teresa Yeager thought she’d never be able to afford to buy a house. That was until she found a down payment assistance program called Landed.
Up until July, she commuted from her rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle, where she lived for 12 years, to Sequoia High School in Redwood City. This is her 15th year as a teacher there.
'I did see myself here in the long term and felt the commute was starting to be too much,' she said. 'For me, moving meant another rental situation, and I wanted to see if I could buy instead of rent.'
A commute that took 30 to 35 minutes turned into 45 minutes in the morning as Silicon Valley’s economy continued to thrive. In the afternoons, it was taking her an hour to get home from work. She found herself dreading staying longer at school because it meant the traffic would be worse by the time she got on the road.
Yeager found out about Landed in January; six months later, with the startup’s help, she bought a one-bedroom condo in Belmont.
'My quality of life has definitely improved,' she said. 'I’m home earlier because of the shortened commute. I have more time and more stability. I know [the house] is mine and it’s not changing.'
Yeager said she also likes feeling closer to the community she teaches in since she actually lives in it now. And she’s finding more time to sleep and exercise too.
She said she appreciated the advice Landed provides with the financial support. 'They helped me navigate the whole homebuying process,' she said. 'I saw a place on a Tuesday, and put in an offer on a Thursday… I felt good about walking though the process, knowing what I was going to encounter and knowing I could ask lots of questions.'
Yeager said she is also grateful that Landed offers higher down payment support than other programs. She was not sure a bid for a house would go through with a lower down payment and if she would be able to afford a mortgage as a single person.”
This story was originally published in The Almanac.
More news coverage of Landed is available at landed.com/news.
