After 20 years of paying “ridiculously” high rent, Rose and Rich Fejerang knew they wanted to buy a place to call their own.
But Rose, who works 12-hour shifts as a respiratory therapist at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), was exhausted by even the thought of trying to find a home within their budget in the ultra-competitive San Francisco Bay area.
“I thought it would be really challenging and I wondered if I had the bandwidth,” Rose said. “I didn’t want to add extra stress in addition to my job, or add the headache of what could go wrong.”
They also were nervous and full of questions, as first-time buyers.
“The homebuying process was unknown to us,” said Rich, who works as a warehouse associate in Berkeley. “And we also had to ask, can we afford it?”
Rose and Rich near their new home on Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA.
Then one day last fall Rose was on a Zoom call when the conversation turned to how many essential professionals were struggling to afford Bay Area rent on their modest salaries. A coworker mentioned Landed, and Rose decided to reach out to us to learn more about our down payment program.
The couple had questions.
“I wanted to know if Landed was legit,” Rose said. “I hadn’t seen programs like this before, especially for healthcare professionals. I also wanted to know if it was the right time for us to buy.”
After talking with our team, they were convinced Landed was the right way to go, and soon had a real estate agent from Landed’s partner network.
When they found a condo in Oakland with a view of Lake Merritt, they knew they had found the perfect spot for them and their dog, Easton. It was safe, close to Rose’s work and public transit, and the complex included lots of amenities.
“It checked off all the boxes,” Rose said.
Now that they are settled into their new home, they can reflect on their experience with Landed.
“Going through the process remotely was surprisingly easy,” Rose said. “Working with Landed, it felt like a one-stop shop. Our team was amazing.”
And what do they want other essential professionals – who may think home ownership is out of reach – to know?
“It is possible!” Rose said. “Landed helped us see that we could buy a home, stay on budget, and not feel stretched.”
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