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When it comes to building a life together, putting down roots is an important step. For many couples, a home that belongs to both partners — whether it’s a house, townhouse or condo — is a special part of the journey.
Annie and Abby, a couple living in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, wanted to find a house where they could grow together — while growing a spectacular garden to boot.
They now live happily in a cozy 1940s bungalow on a quiet, tree-lined street. The home they’ve lovingly updated and refurbished has polished hardwood floors, a bay window, sunroom and, of course, the garden where Abby spends most of her time during fair weather.
Much like the couple’s five-year relationship, the house has solid bones and lots of potential for beauty, but it’s been a process to get there. In 2019, the pair was living in a two-bedroom condo that Abby owned near Bde Maka Ska, on the chain of lakes in Minneapolis.
While planning their wedding, they realized they didn’t want to continue living in a walk-up building with no reserved parking and a laundry room shared among their fellow residents. So, while they dreamed about saying “I do” in front of treasured friends and family members, they also allowed themselves to dream about buying a home.
Serendipitously, they found their realtor at the Twin Cities Pride Festival that spring. And, with historically low interest rates, they started shopping for a mortgage preapproval. It turned out that those were the easy elements. Finding a house, however, proved more challenging.
Annie and Abby’s real estate agent walked them through the process of listing the condo for sale and getting prepared to buy a house. They made endless lists of new-to-market homes in their price range and toured almost as many.
“The market was so hot that we were making offers within hours of seeing a house,” said Abby. “We got into multiple bidding wars but kept losing out to other buyers.”
After seeing more houses than they cared to remember — and losing out on almost as many to higher offers — they were about to give up.
The search for home
Securing the house of your dreams can be tough, especially in a competitive market. Once Abby and Annie found the house they wanted, it was vital to have a team they can trust, including a realtor and a mortgage lender like Rocket Mortgage, a company that’s been making home dreams come true for more than 35 years. The team at Rocket Mortgage can provide you with personalized loan options based on your budget and allow you to view your monthly payments, down payment, closing costs and tax estimates, all in real time.
As for Abby and Annie, they’ve settled into their new home and made changes that suit their style —from a fresh coat of paint to a quirky gold sputnik light fixture in their cozy dining room. They’re building a life together on their terms, and it’s been worth every penny.
Ready to find a home loan to fit your family and budget? Rocket Can™.
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When you need a home loan to fit your budget and your life, Rocket Can . To learn more, visit RocketMortgage.com.
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When you need a home loan to fit your budget and your life, Rocket Can . To learn more, visit RocketMortage.com.
Rocket Mortgage, LLC; NMLS #3030; www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in 50 states. For additional information please visit RocketMortgage.com.
Rocket Homes® is a registered trademark licensed to Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC. The Rocket Homes® Logo is a service mark licensed to Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC. Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act. For Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC license numbers, visit RocketHomes.com/license-numbers. California DRE #01804478
Quicken Loans, LLC (doing business as Rocket Mortgage), Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC, and RockLoans Marketplace LLC (doing business as Rocket Loans®) are separate operating subsidiaries of Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE: RKT). Each company is a separate legal entity operated and managed through its own management and governance structure as required by its state of incorporation, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
*Participation in the Verified Approval program is based on an underwriter’s comprehensive analysis of your credit, income, employment status, debt, property, insurance, appraisal and a satisfactory title report/search. If new information materially changes the underwriting decision resulting in a denial of your credit request, if the loan fails to close for a reason outside of Quicken Loans’ control, or if you no longer want to proceed with the loan, your participation in the program will be discontinued. If your eligibility in the program does not change and your mortgage loan does not close, you will receive $1,000. This offer does not apply to new purchase loans submitted to Quicken Loans through a mortgage broker. Additional conditions or exclusions may apply.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA TODAY Network were not involved in the creation of this content
Quicken Loans LLC; NMLS #3030; nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in 50 states. For additional information, please visit rocketmortgage.com.
*Participation in the Verified Approval program is based on an underwriter’s comprehensive analysis of your credit, income, employment status, debt, property, insurance, appraisal and a satisfactory title report/search. If new information materially changes the underwriting decision resulting in a denial of your credit request, if the loan fails to close for a reason outside of Quicken Loans’ control, or if you no longer want to proceed with the loan, your participation in the program will be discontinued. If your eligibility in the program does not change and your mortgage loan does not close, you will receive $1,000. This offer does not apply to new purchase loans submitted to Quicken Loans through a mortgage broker. Additional conditions or exclusions may apply.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA TODAY Network were not involved in the creation of this content
But on what they’d decided would be their last weekend of touring even more houses, their real estate agent encouraged them to add one more house to their list, albeit in a neighborhood they had never considered.
The house had obvious quirks, like red brick and mauve siding, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, they knew it had something else: potential. They worked with their agent and mortgage lender to put together a strong offer, including a 20% down payment, and hoped for the best.
“We were worn out from getting attached to houses and then having our offers rejected,” said Abby. “We decided if we didn’t get the house, we’d rent an apartment.”
The house had obvious quirks, like red brick and mauve siding, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, they knew it had something else: potential. They worked with their agent and mortgage lender to put together a strong offer, including a 20% down payment, and hoped for the best.
“We were worn out from getting attached to houses and then having our offers rejected,” said Abby. “We decided if we didn’t get the house, we’d rent an apartment.”
Like Abby and Annie, if you need to be ready to jump on that perfect property in a fast-moving real estate market, a Rocket Mortgage® Verified Approval can help strengthen your offer. It verifies your credit, assets and income upfront so you can complete in a crowded market to have the strength to complete against a cash buyer.
The couple was elated when their offer was accepted. The inspection wemoothly, too, and they closed just 30 days later — in October 2019. The condo sold a few weeks after they moved, and they’ve been making the home their own, one room at a time, ever since.
Like Abby and Annie, if you need to be ready to jump on that perfect property in a fast-moving real estate market, a Rocket Mortgage® Verified Approval can help strengthen your offer. It verifies your credit, assets and income upfront so you can complete in a crowded market to have the strength to complete against a cash buyer.