“My mortgage loan guy said the VA would have denied us getting the amount of the loan that we wanted without my wife's income in part as well,” said Eric Reineman. Two weeks later, they tied the knot.

“I started to learn how to attack things on our credit reports that did not look great in the eyes of lenders,” said Nyeisha Brooks, a first-time homeowner.

“It’s like we’re back in our dorm in college,” said Kirsten Harrison, a resident of a senior housing community in Minnesota.

In 2021, Sarah and Brandon Jones moved to a floating cabin on Lake Fontana in western North Carolina. Even after renovations, living on the water was cheaper than land.

This couple in Fairbanks, Alaska saved money by DIY-ing their own home build.

Since moving from New York City in 2022, Jordan Heiden and Cass Lang have invested in solar panels, built gardens and attended city council meetings.

Charlotte Kreutz listed a private room in her home on Airbnb. Almost immediately, she started getting bookings.

Melissa Mesku happened upon the perfect rent-stabilized apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. How did she beat the odds?

“You could teach the entire history of American architectural style just using dormitories,” says Carla Yanni of Rutgers University.

“It would be definitely a bucket list of mine to get to visit all of them in my lifetime,” said Annilee Waterman, a residential designer in Dallas.