As former homeowners in Florida, Brian and Valerie Munoz hoped to buy and settle into a home quickly when they moved their family to Colorado.
But high home prices and fierce competition in the Boulder area left them renting for six years in a place that their family of five (plus two dogs) had outgrown.
“We wanted more space for our daughter, our two sons, and our two dogs,” said Valerie, a fourth-grade teacher in the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD). “We wanted each of the children to have their own bedroom, and we wanted a lawn.”
Brian, a BVSD elementary school principal, heard about Landed’s down payment program for essential professionals from a co-worker and thought it could be the solution to reaching a down payment of 20%.
After careful consideration, he decided to reach out to Landed.
“I had questions. What would the partnership look like? Would it truly feel like homeownership?” he said. “Did we have to jump through hoops? Would we still be eligible even though I’m a principal?”
“It felt too good to be true,” Valerie added. “So what was the catch?”
After talking with us, the couple was confident that Landed was right for them.
“The main thing that stood out was the fairness of Landed’s model,” Brian said. “Including the flexibility to exit the partnership on our own schedule.”
Once ready to buy, they were drawn to new construction less than two miles away from their rental home.
It was love at first sight – the Victorian-style home, similar to San Francisco’s famed “Painted Ladies,” had bedrooms for everyone, hardwood floors, a fireplace, balcony with a view, and was both close to the children’s schools and a 20-acre park.
“We didn’t even look at other properties,” Valerie said. “We knew this one was it!”
The Munoz family in front of their new home in Boulder, Colorado.
Throughout the process, they found that Landed supported them, and their real estate agent, who is also a Landed partner agent, knew how both Landed and the local Boulder housing market worked. The couple were also impressed by our mission of helping essential professionals buy homes in the communities they serve.
Support from Landed and their agent was needed, especially as the couple dealt with a few setbacks in the buying process while also working long hours to make sure their students kept learning during the pandemic.
“Between buying a home and leading our school through the pandemic, it was a very challenging year,” Brian said. “Each day felt like a triumph.”
The couple hopes more educators and other essential professionals take advantage of their chance to partner with Landed.
“We are extremely thankful to Landed,” Valerie said. “We love everything about the house, and we’re already seeing significant appreciation in the home’s value.”
“My advice to others is they should go for it,” she added. “With Landed, your dream of homebuying can happen, despite the difficulties in expensive and competitive markets.”
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