Stories

Customer story: How Karin realized her dreams of Colorado with Buy before you sell

Karin Esterhammer had called Los Angeles home for forty years. 

As a long-time resident and a journalist for the L.A. Times, she knew the city well. Despite her history with L.A., Karin dreamt for years of moving to Colorado. She wanted mountains. She wanted fresh air. She wanted to experience more of the world’s natural beauty. 

Colorado dreaming

But like most of us, Karin couldn’t simply pack up and leave. She had children and grandchildren in L.A. and couldn’t just walk away from them. Being near her family was more important than her own desire to relocate.

Years went by. Then, in the middle of the pandemic, Karin’s daughter and her family decided to move to the Denver area. After helping her daughter move into her new home, Karin’s dream solidified into a plan. She’d had enough of the noise, traffic, and pollution in Los Angeles. She’d been waiting for a good reason to get out of L.A. — and she finally had one. 

She began searching for homes in Colorado while on the flight back to Los Angeles.

A chance connection

Moving over a thousand miles is no easy feat. Karin knew she’d need help finding a home in the Denver area. But where to start? 

Karin had friends who had moved from L.A. to Colorado decades earlier. She thought they could help. After some internet sleuthing, she found someone named Kelsey Long. Her old friends’ daughter was named Kelsey, but she was only a few years old when Karin had last seen her. Could this be the same person? Karin sent an email to Kelsey, hoping she wasn’t bothering a stranger.

Karin was surprised to get a quick reply. Yes, this was the same Kelsey, but there was more to it than that: Kelsey was also a realtor in the Denver area. She could connect Karin to her parents, but she’d also be delighted to help her find the perfect new home.

The stars had aligned. All signs pointed to Colorado.

Forming a plan to buy and sell

Kelsey helped Karin understand the state of the market in and around Denver. It was the summer of 2021, and like many other markets across the country, Denver real estate was booming.

“The market was moving so fast. It was scary,” says Karin. “After an hour, a new home would have a dozen people bidding on it. The thought of selling our home in L.A. and moving to Colorado in those circumstances was really scary. Before I heard about Homeward, I pictured myself moving into my daughter’s basement and driving them crazy for a few months. I really didn’t want to do that.”

Although Kelsey knew the Denver market well, it was Karin who proposed using Homeward’s Buy before you sell solution. Her daughter had used Homeward when she moved to Colorado and had raved about the experience. “It seemed brilliant,” remembers Karin. “I’d never heard of a program like this before then. Having to sell and buy at the same time is so stressful because you’re caught in the middle and you don’t know how things are going to work out.”

Kelsey quickly saw the benefits of using Homeward:

“When you’re in a seller’s market, you know you’ll make money selling your home. But for me, I don’t want my buyers to feel the pressure of needing to find a new home quickly. That pressure forces them to make hasty decisions, and the last thing I’d want is them to buy a house and regret it a few months later. Homeward really seemed like it could ease your mind during the process.” 

Karin got approved for The Homeward Cash Offer and began house-hunting in earnest. She was a thousand miles away from Denver, so when they found a promising home, Kelsey and Karin’s daughter would visit and do video tours of the property. After seeing about ten homes, they found a home that seemed perfect for Karin. It was early September 2021. 

“When we found this house, it felt so good to know we could put in a cash offer,” remembers Karin. “We knew we’d be in a strong position so nobody would beat us out.” 

There were at least four other offers on the home, but after some brilliant negotiating by Kelsey, the seller accepted Karin’s offer. Her dream was coming true. She was finally moving to Colorado. 

Living an “exquisite experience”

After purchasing their new home with the Homeward Cash Offer, Karin and her family moved to Colorado in October 2021. They spent a few weeks repairing their old home, then quickly sold it and used the funds to repurchase their new home back from Homeward. 

Reflecting on her experience, Karin is so glad she used Homeward.

“Dustin, the person I worked with at Homeward, was just amazing. He took care of everything right away and was so prompt. It made this scary process so much easier and it was well worth the reasonable convenience fee.”

Karin says that getting out of Los Angeles was the best thing that ever happened to her. “It’s just been the most exquisite experience. Our house is beautiful and has a fabulous view. It’s perfect for our needs. Every day, I wake up and smile because I can’t believe we live here!”

Agent story: How Reisha uses Homeward to modernize her real estate business

“When I started in real estate, Austin was just a town. Now it’s a full-blown city.”

Reisha Lacey has seen a lot of change during her eighteen years in real estate. 

Although she’s originally from Chicago, Reisha has called Texas home for over twenty years. She’d always been interested in pursuing a career in real estate, but friends or relatives had talked her out of pursuing her dream multiple times while in Chicago. After moving to Austin, she decided to make her dream her reality. 

Eighteen years later, she’s carved out an award-winning career as a realtor at Realty Austin. Given her experience moving across the country, Reisha is particularly passionate about helping clients relocate from one area to another. While the process can be overwhelming, she’s living proof that a change of scenery can sometimes make a world of difference.

Serving clients in a booming metro

The market Reisha works in today is almost unrecognizable compared to the market she started her career in nearly two decades ago. 

In the past twenty years, Austin has solidified itself as a legitimate hub for American tech companies. Other cities in Texas have seen similar success, but Austin has managed to stay true to its unique vibe as a city. The impact on the real estate market has been profound. 

“The influx of tech workers, particularly people relocating from California, has led to super high demand and low inventory,” says Reisha. “Prices have doubled and tripled since I started working with clients. Builders just can’t build new homes fast enough.”

Many markets across the country experienced a surge in demand over the past few years, but Austin’s has been unbelievable. “Each home was getting 30-60 offers over their first weekend last year,” says Reisha. “With interest rates going up in 2022 it’s slowed down a little. It’s still a seller’s market, but buyers now have a bit more time.”

Helping clients buy and sell houses in a red hot market brings unique challenges. Fortunately, Reisha’s been well-positioned for success.

Leveraging technology and continually learning

“I’m at a company with superior technology now,” explains Reisha. “With this market the last few years and such low inventory, I’ve had to adapt and learn different ways of doing my job.”

When competing with dozens of offers, speed and flexibility are both critical. If you can’t make a compelling offer quickly, your client will never win the home they want. For Reisha, adapting her approach has meant rethinking her entire team: 

“For example, I’ve always had one go-to lender. But he hasn’t seen much business from me in the last two years, because he doesn’t have a solution that fits my client’s needs in this market. I’ve virtually changed my entire team.”

Although she still leverages her long-standing relationships where possible, the demands of the past few years have forced changes. Reisha’s goal as an agent is to guide her clients through every step of their homebuying journey, which means she has to stay on top of trends and have a wide variety of tools at her disposal.

Discovering Homeward

Reisha’s willingness to try new approaches led her to Homeward. Her agency started exploring Homeward in early 2020, right as the pandemic kicked off. After some due diligence, she quickly realized that Homeward’s services stood out from what typical lenders were able to offer. 

“Many of these lenders can help buyers, but they don’t have a full program where they can help my clients sell their existing homes,” she explains. “They don’t have the ability to help my clients buy the house they want with cash, sell their old home, then buy back the new home.” 

Reisha has used Homeward’s Buy with cash and Buy before your sell solutions over the past few years, but she’s found it to be a perfect solution for clients looking to sell existing homes. 

“Without Homeward, a typical experience would be listing a home and getting it under contract. After the option period, we’d go out and look for a home, but it would be contingent on the sale of their existing home. That contingent offer just isn’t as strong. But with Homeward, Homeward puts a cash offer in for my client. It’s more competitive and far more appealing, especially if you’re in a multiple offer situation.” 

That’s a compelling advantage, but it’s not the only reason Reisha relies on Homeward as a strong option. She works with Homeward because it creates a better experience for her clients. “No one wants to move twice if they can help it. Using Homeward alleviates a lot of stress for my clients because they don’t have to be in their home when they’re trying to show it.” 

Reisha’s found Homeward to be such a good fit for many clients that she’s even recommended Homeward to clients moving out of Texas.

“I had a client who was an advanced skier, and she was moving to Colorado. I referred her to an agent in Colorado, and since Homeward operates in Colorado I also recommended Homeward to her. That agent had never used Homeward before, but she used a Homeward Cash Offer.”

Although this client’s offer was one of eight on the property, the strength of her cash offer made it the most appealing option. She won the property and moved in a few weeks later.

Winning homes and growing her business

Buying a home in Austin within the past few years hasn’t been for the faint of heart. Reisha has found that her years of experience and her diverse toolset have enabled her to serve clients and grow her business in every market.

“I’ve used Homeward with over a dozen clients in the past two years,” says Reisha. “Most of the time, I suggested Homeward because we were submitting offers and we weren’t winning the bidding war. Homeward’s cash offer made us more competitive. It made all the difference, especially for the many first-time homebuyers I’ve worked with.”

Helping her clients succeed in purchasing a home is rewarding. But Reisha has also seen the benefits in her own life and business.

“The last two years were especially hard with the low inventory and high demand. I don’t know if I would have gotten even half of those clients under contract and into new homes if I hadn’t been able to use Homeward.”

As she thinks about the future, Reisha is confident that she’ll continue to rely on Homeward as a critical tool for clients. “It will still be attractive to take your time, find a home to buy first, then turnaround and sell your existing home. It’s always going to be a more appealing option. It really takes the pressure and stress out of the experience.”

Customer story: How Kyle used the Homeward Cash Offer to beat the odds in Atlanta

Growing up as a military kid often means moving around a lot. 

For Kyle Donald—the youngest of three boys—military life meant bouncing around between Virginia and Tennessee for most of his childhood. As he grew older, these regular moves gave Kyle a strong desire to buy a home of his own one day. He dreamt of a place to call his own. 

Kyle relocated from Tennessee to Atlanta in the summer of 2020. Even with a stable career in healthcare, moving in the middle of a pandemic was scary. “I’d wanted to buy a house in Tennessee, but I decided to move to Atlanta for work and started out by renting. COVID has slowed everything down, and it just seemed best to stay put for awhile.” 

After renting for six months, Kyle recognized that he wasn’t doing himself any favors. He wasn’t building any equity, but even more importantly, he wasn’t being honest with himself. “I eventually realized I needed to follow my heart and start looking for a home,” he remembers. “The stressful part was that it seemed like everyone else had the same dream I did.”

An unreal market

Kyle was new to the Atlanta area and a first-time homebuyer, so he knew he needed help. He connected with his realtor, Jezell Griffin, through mutual friends. Jezell was also a transplant from Tennessee and a military kid. It felt like a perfect match. 

“Sellers here are literally overwhelmed with offers.”

What wasn’t so perfect was the real estate market in Atlanta. Markets were heating up across the country, but Atlanta was in a league of its own. “Sellers here are literally overwhelmed with offers,” says Jezell. “I remember a house going on the market on Monday. We scheduled a showing for Tuesday morning, but it was canceled late Monday night because the sellers already had 30 offers and couldn’t handle any more.”

Part of the challenge was COVID’s impact on supply chains. New homes weren’t being built as quickly as normal, which meant existing homes were going fast. The other challenge was Kyle’s budget. “I was approved for a high number,” Kyle remembers. “That sounded great, but I didn’t want to spend that much money. I didn’t want to be living paycheck to paycheck.”

Houses in Kyle’s ideal price range were relatively rare and very competitive. “One house I put an offer in on had 60 total offers. How do you compete with that?”


Changing up the approach

They kept up the hunt for nearly nine months. It was a grind, but Kyle describes himself as an eternal optimist. He knew he’d eventually find the right fit. “I just knew I needed this for myself. Rent was going up on my apartment, and I just couldn’t keep living there and be happy.” 

“It was obvious the traditional mortgage wasn’t working. I realized I couldn’t be too scared to try something new. Most of the time when we weren’t winning our offers, it was because a cash buyer had swooped in.”

After a number of rejected offers, Jezell suggested changing up their approach. Nearly 70% of homes purchased in the market were cash offers, and she thought that a conventional mortgage might be the reason they were losing out. Her mentor had worked with a number of clients who used Homeward, and she thought it might be a good fit for Kyle. 

He was initially skeptical, but eventually agreed that they needed to try something different. “It was obvious the traditional mortgage wasn’t working. I realized I couldn’t be too scared to try something new. Most of the time when we weren’t winning our offers, it was because a cash buyer had swooped in.”

Working with Homeward was a new experience for both Kyle and Jezell, but they found plenty of support. “Having a Homeward advisor was really helpful,” says Jezell. “We were learning the process together, and they were always available for questions.” 

Kyle agrees: “My Homeward rep had a real estate background, so she could speak to Jezell and I about what she thought would work best for me not just as a Homeward rep, but as a realtor.” 

Testing the waters

Armed with The Homeward Cash Offer, Kyle and Jezell got back out there. 

Nothing had changed in the market, but at least the playing field felt a bit more level. In October 2021, Kyle put in his first Homeward cash offer on a house. Two other agents were touring the house with clients at the same time, so they knew speed was important. After submitting the offer, Jezell immediately followed up by calling the listing agent to introduce herself and to discuss the cash offer Kyle was bringing to the table.

It was their very first cash offer, and to their shock, it was accepted.

“Afterwards, the listing agent told me it was the easiest transaction she’d ever done,” says Jezell. “Cash really is king, but the other part that was important was how fast we were able to close. Closing within 14 days is a huge deal.”

After the quick closing, Kyle moved into his new home in early November. He used Homeward Mortgage to secure his financing, and then bought the home back from Homeward in December. It was the best Christmas gift he could have hoped for.

Reaping the rewards

Reflecting back on her first experience using Homeward as a realtor, Jezell says, “It’s a really great tool. I mainly work with first-time homebuyers, and it helps to have Homeward available. It builds a lot of trust when I can say, ‘I’ve got this option that I guarantee can give you better odds of getting the home you want.’”

“I’ve got this option that I guarantee can give you better odds of getting the home you want.”

Kyle moved into his new home a few months ago. He still can’t get over the impact being a homeowner has had on him. “It’s very rewarding waking up and realizing this place belongs to me. It makes me value myself a lot more. I’d say it’s even had an impact on my job—I’m more motivated and driven to do even more. It’s given me a new level of confidence and responsibility.”

Owning a home comes with responsibility, but it also brings a lot of fun. “My family is so excited for me. My older brothers are ecstatic. They bought me a new washer and dryer when I moved in, and just last week they bought me a new grill for the summer.”

Kyle’s looking forward to many, many years of family parties and entertaining in his beautiful home. 

Customer story: How the Homeward Cash Offer leveled the playing field for these first-time homebuyers

Choosing to start a family is both exciting and terrifying. 

Even the bravest among us feel nervous at the thought of shouldering responsibility for a little baby. When you add fertility challenges into the equation, each step in the journey to parenthood is fraught with even more emotion and anxiety. For Angie and Ty Garrison, this emotional roller coaster also coincided with each of them landing new teaching jobs on the other side of Houston in the summer of 2021.

“We had moved once every year for the last four years. We knew we didn’t want an hour-long commute each way, but we also didn’t want to move again unless it was permanent.” - Angie, first-time homebuyer

Finding a place to rent near their new school districts was an option, but not an appealing one. “It made us feel anxious knowing we would have to put our things in storage yet again,” says Angie. “We had moved once every year for the last four years. We knew we didn’t want an hour-long commute each way, but we also didn’t want to move again unless it was permanent. On top of that, rising rent prices had us worried that things would get costly.”

A safe space to call home

Finding a home to call their own was about more than just a shorter commute. They were ready to put down roots. Yes, finding a place near their new jobs would put them closer to family and work, but it would also give them a safe and private place to navigate the road to parenthood. “It’s a very personal experience,” says Angie. “You want to have your privacy. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, if we don’t have a house or even a place to stay…’”

As first-time homebuyers, Angie and Ty knew nothing about the homebuying process. When a relative recommended they reach out to Grant Rothberg, owner of Rothberg Realty Group, they happily did so. Grant is a combat veteran and a respected realtor in the Greater Houston Area, and after a few conversations with him, they both knew they’d found the perfect partner for their homebuying journey. “With every step of the process, Grant explained it to us in layman’s terms. He never made us feel silly or dumb for not knowing something. His approach was really consistent and transparent, and he made us feel really comfortable throughout the whole process.”

The countdown begins

Angie and Ty’s homebuying journey started the moment their summer vacation began. Because they were both teachers, they knew summer break would be a perfect opportunity to focus on finding a great home before the new school year (and new jobs) started up in August. But the Houston housing market was hot, and they were worried about being able to find something before the new school year began. As they assessed options with Grant, he recommended Homeward as a tool that could help them quickly purchase the house they wanted. 

“My clients trust me to help them accomplish their goal of finding a home, and I don’t know of any tool better equipped for that than a cash offer. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I knew there was a tool like Homeward and I didn’t advise every client to use it.” - Grant Rothberg, Rothberg Realty Group

“I recommend Homeward whenever possible because I know it gives my clients the very best chance to land the house they want the first time,” says Grant. “My clients trust me to help them accomplish their goal of finding a home, and I don’t know of any tool better equipped for that than a cash offer. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I knew there was a tool like Homeward and I didn’t advise every client to use it.”

Was it too good to be true?

Angie and Ty were skeptical at first. “Grant explained the benefits of Homeward to us as soon as we began our search. We had both heard about the rise in buyers preferring cash offers because of how competitive the market was, but we thought it was too good to be true.

They knew they should give it their due diligence, so they had several calls with their Homeward Customer Experience Manager. “She was super patient with us as we went through all the documents,” Angie shared. “Just like Grant, she never made us feel dumb for not knowing things. Homeward was really on top of it and communicative.”

After seeing a number of houses and losing out on one they liked, Angie and Ty found a home they loved in early July 2021. The house had only been on the market for a day, but they moved quickly. With Grant’s help, they put in a Homeward Cash Offer the very next day. “We knew this was a home we wanted to put our best offer forward on,” says Ty.

Dreams become reality

Although it was everything they’d been dreaming of, they were still shocked when their offer was accepted. “There were multiple offers, and we weren’t the highest offer,” reflects Grant. “It was a combination of the certainty of a cash offer and the speed that made Angie and Ty’s offer really attractive.” Speed was certainly a big factor for everyone, because just three weeks later Angie and Ty moved into their new home. 

“I was so impressed with how quickly things went,” says Angie. “The family we bought the house from were also moving, and the lady mentioned how the shorter closing period with Homeward was really significant to them. It really stood out to her.” 

“The family we bought the house from were also moving, and the lady mentioned how the shorter closing period with Homeward was really significant to them. It really stood out to her.” 

Home at last

Angie and Ty were overjoyed to finally move everything out of storage. They moved into their new home on July 23. Two short weeks later, Angie began IVF treatment and they both started their new jobs. “It was just a huge weight off my shoulders,” says Angie. “I just kept thinking, ‘I’m so glad we have a home.’ I can’t imagine having to go through all that while trying to find an apartment and move.” 

That gratitude is still on their minds months later: “We wake up every day feeling so incredibly grateful for our home, the people who helped us get here, and all the events that aligned in our life to get us to this place. As teachers with a tight budget, we were aware we needed something to help us stand out. Homeward’s cash offer and short closing time sold us and helped us get here. It’s truly amazing to be able to say we own this home.”

Customer story: How Austin and Lewis used Homeward to skip the stress in Denver

“I’d never lived anywhere else, so the thought of leaving my family in Minneapolis felt like a pretty huge move.”

For Austin, moving away from the only place she’d ever called home felt like a turning point. 

It was early 2016, and she’d decided to move to Denver with her boyfriend, Lewis. Despite her nervousness, they found a place to rent and both quickly found new jobs. Lewis—a trained chef—found plenty of work in the booming Denver food scene, while Austin landed a gig working as a childcare specialist for the State of Colorado. 

After getting married in June 2017, they made the big decision to purchase their first home later that year. It was small—just 600 square feet—but they were frequent travelers and it was the perfect home base between big trips. By renting out their new home during trips, their house also doubled as an income source to support their adventuring lifestyle.

The pandemic hits

But like so much else in the world, everything changed when the COVID-19 pandemic began. In mere weeks, travel became an impossibility. Austin found herself working from home. On top of that, with COVID restrictions constantly changing, Lewis’ employment as a chef often was up in the air. 

While their cozy home had worked great for their pre-COVID lives, Austin and Lewis quickly realized that it was simply too small for their new reality. Between them and their two dogs—Shandy and Daphne—their space felt cramped and confining. 

But with the Denver real estate market being incredibly hot and financial uncertainty around Lewis’ employment, could they afford to make a move to something bigger? 

Shandy and Daphne, Austin and Lewis' dogs.

Should we do this?

Despite the unknowns, Austin reached out to the person who’d helped them purchase their first home. Annie Collins, a realtor at Ford & Associates, was an old friend and had been a huge help during their first homebuying experience. “We thought the market was crazy then,” remembers Lewis. “Today’s market makes 2017 seem tame.”  Annie agrees: “Today, if you’re not putting in an offer that’s $100k over the asking price, you basically don’t have a shot.”

As they started exploring the possibility of upsizing with Annie, they were forced to come to terms with the challenges they’d face. “We didn’t want to sell our current home first and be homeless or need to rent,” says Austin. “We had plenty of equity in our home and figured it would sell fast, but selling before buying felt risky.”

“The market here’s just so competitive. You have to bring cash to the table or you can’t even play the game. And for people in our age range, you normally don’t have much cash to bring to the table. How are you supposed to compete?”

For Lewis, the Denver housing market felt intimidating: “The market here’s just so competitive. You have to bring cash to the table or you can’t even play the game. And for people in our age range, you normally don’t have much cash to bring to the table. How are you supposed to compete?” Austin summed it up: “The Denver housing market is like Black Friday, every day.” 

Starting the search

Despite all of the challenges, Austin and Lewis knew they couldn’t thrive long-term in their existing home. With Annie’s encouragement that it would be tough, but not impossible, they decided to move forward and start checking out houses in November 2020. Unsurprisingly, their experience was exactly what they’d expected.

“We probably saw twenty or thirty houses over a few months,” says Austin. “I think we put in nine offers, and we actually had a few accepted. The problem was that the market was moving so quickly, you felt like you had to put an offer in just to give yourself time to think about whether it was actually a house you wanted.”

Although they had a few offers accepted, they backed out after reviewing the results of the home inspections. “Each one had major problems that would have cost a lot of money to fix,” says Lewis. “With all the info, none of them felt like a wise decision.”

As they reviewed everything they’d experienced, they realized that their home sale contingency was holding them back. “The home sale contingency really hobbled us,” remembers Lewis. “We’d put together a good offer, but when the seller saw the contingency, our offer would go to the bottom of the stack. In a hot market like Denver, that just doesn’t fly.” 

“The home sale contingency really hobbled us… when the seller saw the contingency, our offer would go to the bottom of the stack.”

It was at this point that Annie suggested they try using Homeward’s Buy before you sell solution. 

“We were trying so hard, and I could tell Annie was also feeling frustrated that we just couldn’t get in the door,” says Austin. “She brought up Homeward as a last-ditch effort of sorts. She’d never worked with Homeward before, so we were a test subject, and it ended up being a perfect fit.”

Annie acknowledges that they were all skeptical at first. “We had a lot of questions and there was a ton of back-and-forth. We were all asking the same question: ‘What’s the catch here?’ But the Homeward team were really supportive, and once we understood the program they enabled us to move really quickly.”

The Homeward experience

Austin and Lewis were near their breaking point. “I remember saying that we would try putting in one more offer,” says Austin. “If it didn’t work out, we were going to take a break. The experience was just too stressful.” 

After working with Annie and Homeward to get preapproved for the Homeward Cash Offer, they started looking at homes again. They found one they absolutely loved in late March. “It had more space, a guest room, a big yard for the dogs and a garden…it was perfect,” says Austin. “We decided to give it a go using the Homeward Cash Offer.”

They later learned that they were one of twenty-four offers on this particular home. To their shock, their offer was accepted! 

It was all smiles once their cash offer was accepted.

“We think that Homeward’s Buy before your sell program was the key,” says Austin. “Homeward allowed us to bring a cash offer to the table, but the other important piece was that it enabled us to sell our home after buying. That meant we were able to give the sellers sixty days to move out at no additional cost. Since the family that owned the home had a young daughter, they were really attracted to that.” 

“Homeward allowed us to bring a cash offer to the table, but the other important piece was that it enabled us to sell our home after buying.”

“It’s really hard to buy and sell in this market,” says Annie. “Cash really is king, because sellers see it as easy. Having options like [The Homeward Cash Offer] works like a charm in the right situations.”

The deal was finalized in mid-April and they moved into their new home in mid-May. They quickly listed their old home for sale and accepted an offer two days later, neatly wrapping up the whole process. 

Putting down roots (literally)

“We love our new house. I think we say it at least once a week,” says Austin. “We now have an office, a huge yard for the dogs, a guest bedroom, and a garage. It’s changed our lives, really. We’re so thankful for Annie and for Homeward for making this possible.”

Lewis agrees. “I honestly don’t know if we could have stayed in Denver if we didn’t get this house. We love it here, but it’s so hard with the housing market the way it is.”

Austin and Lewis shared their story with the Homeward team from their car. Why? They were in the parking lot at their local Lowe’s home improvement store. “We’re so excited to be in our new home. We’re planting our first garden!” Austin shared. “Since Lewis is a chef, he’s always wanted to be able to grow his own vegetables. We can finally make that dream a reality.”

Lewis is ready to get his hands dirty and start growing fresh lettuce for salads and sides. As for Austin? She just wants to plant as many sunflowers as possible. 

Who can argue with that?