We are the first household to benefit from Landed’s partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), which made funds available for Landed's down payment program to educators like us who want to buy a home.
We are a pair of longtime public servants with a deep commitment to our jobs and communities: Fidel, a veteran educator of 21 years, is a bilingual high school math teacher in the Sequoia Union High School District; and, Carol, a veteran educator of 12 years, is a high school English teacher in the San Mateo Union High School District. Both of us are first-generation Americans (Fidel’s family is from Mexico while Carol’s hails from Korea), and we couldn’t be more thrilled to achieve our dream of homeownership in the San Francisco Bay Area.
We made the move to San Francisco years ago, and as the years passed, we knew we wanted to buy a house and lay down roots in a home with space for our family, including our miniature schnauzer Peets.
Carol, Fidel and their dog Peets on a hike
But home prices were so high that buying didn’t seem possible. The day before school let out for summer vacation this past June, we heard about Landed’s partnership with CZI. After meeting with the Landed team, and learning more, we decided it would be a great fit.
Why? Landed offered an alternative to more debt, that would allow us to buy a home so that instead of paying rent, we would be building equity and wealth each month when we make our mortgage payments. We immediately started looking for homes.
On September 8th, a few weeks after hearing about Landed, we bought a beautiful house in San Francisco with Landed’s support, making our dream a reality.
A preview of their new home in SF
It feels exhilarating and a little surreal to have closed on a house in the Bay Area. It is wonderful knowing that we have a home we love in a city we love.
Without Landed’s down payment program, we probably would not have been able to purchase a home in San Francisco. We only wish there were more local organizations like Landed helping people achieve their dream of purchasing a home.
Now, enough of this! We’ve got to get back to unpacking!
Signed: Fidel and Carol, proud San Francisco homeowners
