Single Mother, Erin Watterson, had a dream to someday become a homeowner. Working in a lower wage profession, Erin realized the only way to make her dream come true was to move back home.

Determined and hardworking, Erin and her son, Devon, moved back with her family for a few years with hopes to make homeownership a reality. During this time, she was able to lower her debt and save a sufficient amount of money.  Although Erin’s income was decent, she found out it was extremely difficult to find a housing loan with affordable rates and terms. She encountered many obstacles from not making enough money for conventional loan programs, deals falling through or having to look for housing outside her desired area, which was out of the question. Continuing to reside in Eastampton was very important to Erin because this is the town where her family, her support system, resided and most importantly, where her son’s school is currently located.

After going back to the drawing board, Erin’s realtors learned of the USDA Rural Development 502 Single Family Housing Program which does not require a down payment and her monthly payments could be subsidized based on her income. By October 2015, Erin was approved for a housing loan and on her way to finding a new home.

After nearly 90 days, Erin located a house within her budget and in her desired area. In March 2015, Erin finally had her “Dream of Homeownership” come true with assistance of the Rural Development Area Specialist, Jasmyne Peterson.