This National Homeownership Month, we’re celebrating Tamika and Curtis, who are about to celebrate their first year of homeownership! The Philadelphia couple purchased their first house in July 2024 after working with their Clarifi counselor.

Buying a home is an odyssey.

You’ll sign your name so many times the documents start to blur: Mortgage paperwork, closing documents, insurance, purchase agreement, inspection.

Before those final steps though, you need to find a house worthy of putting in an offer—and have that offer get accepted. But first: Were you pre-approved for a mortgage? How much do you have saved for a down payment? What’s your price range? Is your credit score sufficient?

The steps can be daunting. That’s why Tamika and Curtis, a Philadelphia couple determined to buy their first home, began their journey with a Clarifi housing counselor, Lorrie. The first stop? Finances. Lorrie explained every step they needed to accomplish and why, like how increasing their credit scores could help them secure a mortgage with better terms.

While the couple paid down their debt and set a realistic budget, Lorrie also asked them about their homeownership goals: what they were looking for in a home, their ideal neighborhood.

“We wouldn’t have known what to do” without Lorrie’s guidance, Curtis said. “We would probably be still looking and still back at our old place.”

“Her wisdom and her guidance got us through a lot of this,” Tamika added.

Lorrie also told Curtis about funding opportunities he has as a veteran, and she helped the couple apply for homebuyer grants.

“It was definitely a learning experience,” Curtis said. “It definitely prepared us for the the Odyssey that we went through to get this house. Homer has nothing on us right now.”

She celebrated their wins big and small, kept their spirits high through the lowest points of the process, and made sure they stayed on track. According to the couple, Lorrie was always a phone call or email away.

After their long odyssey, of securing a mortgage and grants, improving their finances, and signing lots of paperwork, Tamika and Curtis closed on their Philadelphia home in July 2024.

Their favorite part of homeownership? “It is ours!” Curtis said. “Nobody else’s.”