ALISSA’S HOMEBUYER SUCCESS STORY

Alissa Anderson, a wildlife technician, spent years living a seasonal, transient lifestyle before buying a house in Columbia Falls.

“I lived out of my car for seven years,” said Alissa. “Then I did grad school and was able to find year-round employment.”

After graduate school Alissa lived in Missoula. Paying more than 30% of her monthly income on rent, she found it hard to make ends meet. It made sense to Alissa to explore the option of buying a home so that she could begin investing the money she was paying in rent into a home instead.

“It always seemed like this really daunting, big, scary thing. Personally, I liked taking the class in person. Having that community support is nice.”

In 2023, Alissa registered for an in-person Get Ready for HomeOwnership class with Homeword, getting to know people in class with similar goals and reconnect with former classmates she hadn’t seen since she was an undergraduate student a decade earlier.

The homebuyer class walked her through the steps of how to select a lender, how to determine home prices she could afford, the differences between loan products available, working with a real estate professional, understanding home inspections and insurance and more.

“I’m single, so I was trying to figure all of it out on my own,” she said. “The class was super helpful for me, and I really appreciated that it was affordable. That definitely decreased the barrier for me to be able to start thinking about this.”

After completing the class, Alissa also signed up for free, personalized counseling sessions with Homeword’s homebuyer educator. Together, they went over Alissa’s financials, including the insurance money Alissa had invested from a car accident 10 years earlier, and if it would be enough to purchase a house.

“I did really appreciate the ability to have one-on-one meeting afterwards to go over some individual questions I had related to my situation.”

Alissa was moving from Missoula to the Flathead Valley and was working in Bozeman when she began her search for a home in Columbia Falls, where she would have a new job. She started looking at homes with a realtor in November and found that there weren’t many smaller houses on the market.

“There were a lot of houses for big families or that had a lot of acres. As a single person, trying to find something that’s the right size, affordable and something that I could manage—I don’t want to mow 40 acres!—was difficult.”

Just before Christmas, the stars aligned, and the house Alissa would buy went on the market. It checked all the boxes: Adequate space for her, it was in her price range and she liked the neighborhood.

In February 2024, Alissa moved in.

“I don’t need to have roommates anymore, and I’m spending less of my income on housing. It’s really nice to feel like I can actually settle into a community and feel secure. It’s also kind of fun to think about painting walls, working on my garden and stuff like that.”

Alissa’s home has a cozy pellet stove, and there’s a walking path out front, a backyard faces a park and a great sled hill behind the house as well.

“I look forward to having my friends’ kids over for sled days. But I think my favorite thing about it is I have a view from my living room of Columbia Mountain to the east. I can see the alpenglow in the evenings.”

As a new homeowner, one of Alissa’s first house projects was to build a little free library to place in front of her house. She also looks forward to expanding her garden, which she’d never been able to have before as a renter. Additionally, she has started a collection of houseplants, many of which were gifted to her to from friends and neighbors. She admitted that she got a couple plants when she was renting but went a little crazy when she got her own home and didn’t expect to moving anytime soon.

“Before, I felt like ‘where am I going to be next year?” Now, knowing that I will be here gives me a sense of security beyond just finances.”

Being rooted in a community has also been meaningful for her. This past Earth Day, she hosted a potluck and neighborhood trash cleanup with friends.

“After living a seasonal, transient life for so long, it feels good to be a part of a community. Also, after being the one to couch surf around for so long, it feels nice to be able to offer a spare bedroom to friends passing through or during transitions.”

Alissa never considered herself to be someone who was good at thinking long-term about her finances. In fact, she only recently got a credit card and starting building credit. Taking the homebuyer class with Homeword helped her understand the importance credit plays in buying a home and preparing for the future.

Now, Alissa refers her friends to Homeword for the homebuyer class.

“I did the in-person class, but I’ve actually sent friends who don’t live in Missoula the link to [sign up for the Get Ready for HomeOwnership class] because I know there are virtual classes also. It was such a valuable resource, and I know it can help others like me.”