Grayson and Bryan participated in Neighborhood Home Solution’s First Time Homeownership Program in December of 2024 and as of February 2025 now own their own home… “we
found the guidance and lessons provided by NHS crucial to our journey and are very appreciative.”

It was as though we’d missed the boat for homeownership. Our hearts sank as we watched prices skyrocket during the pandemic and no matter how much money we managed to save, inflation ensured that our goal remained just out of reach. It was disheartening… we told ourselves owning a home just wasn’t meant for us. Thinking we would never become homeowners, we decided why bother learning how to navigate all that. Last Fall, we heard about some programs available through the City of Saint Petersburg and Neighborhood Home Solutions – programs that made it seem like our dream of homeownership could be within our reach! But where do we even begin … the process is overwhelming and a little scary and we were already feeling reticent to let ourselves hope.

That’s where NHS stepped in! Through Financial Fitness Classes, we learned how to set ourselves up for success. All those things you wished they’d taught in school, here they were! Alongside that, we attended Homebuyer Education – Cindy Marks (NHS Education Facilitator and HUD Certified Counselor), and the guest industry professionals broke down the entire process. Everything we didn’t know and everything we didn’t know we needed to know – all of it was presented in a way that made it understandable and achievable. Lastly, we received pre-purchase counseling with Rosemary Galeas (HUD
Certified Counselor). She looked through our finances, identified our weak points, fine-tuned our budget, and helped us reach an actionable plan.

We are writing this now sitting inside of our home.
OUR HOME!

It’s difficult to express how wonderful and unbelievable that statement still feels. We made it, and Neighborhood Home Solutions paved the way.