NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Better, a leading digital homeownership company, today announced 25 finalists for the Better Home Giveaway.1 The finalists were selected from over 30,000 applicants across the country based upon their life stories, the challenges they’ve faced in their home buying journeys, and the impact they’ve had on their communities. The winner will be chosen on May 15th and will receive up to $500,000 toward a home of their choice.
Purchasing a home has become increasingly difficult in the United States, with the number of available, affordable houses falling to an all time low in 2022.2 All of the finalists for the Better Home Giveaway shared incredible stories about their personal journeys and the value they place on homeownership. Several stories from the finalist pool are highlighted below.
One of the finalists selected for the Better Home Giveaway is a woman from Manatee County, Florida who has spent four years assisting homeless veterans in obtaining housing and connecting them to specialized services focused on recovery for substance abuse and mental health disorders. She and her husband currently live in a small apartment, and if given an opportunity to own her own home, she plans on establishing a safe haven for children in need.
Another finalist for the Better Home Giveaway is a first-generation college graduate who worked as an emergency department nurse during the height of the COVID pandemic. A year ago, her daughter’s father passed away and she was diagnosed with cancer only four weeks later. These struggles took a heavy toll on her savings and damaged her chances to buy a home, and winning the Better Home Giveaway would help her create a better environment for her daughter to grow up.
Yet another finalist for the Better Home Giveaway is a high school English teacher living in Chicago who was forced out of his one-bedroom apartment after his landlord sold the building. He has taught English for over 23 years, and as a result of his decades long commitment to education, a non-profit recently awarded him their inaugural Teacher Award and named the accolade in his honor. Winning the Better Home Giveaway would allow this finalist to care for his mother, provide a place for his niece to stay as she begins her career as a nurse, and give his foster dog a backyard to play in.
Better is incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their stories for the Better Home Giveaway, and selecting a final winner will be an incredibly difficult task. The selection committee will spend the coming weeks carefully evaluating the applications for all of the finalists, and look forward to helping the eventual winner achieve their homeownership dream.
About Better
Better is an industry leading online, commission-free home finance, insurance and realty company. In just six years since launch, Better has leveraged its commission-free service offering and Tinman™, its industry-leading technology platform, to fund more than $100 billion in home financing through its mortgage origination arm, Better Mortgage. In addition to being the first fintech to reach this milestone, Better has completed over $4.6 billion in real estate transaction volume through its realtor service Better Real Estate and agent network, as well as over $38 billion in coverage written through its insurance arm, Better Cover and Settlement Services. Better has earned countless awards for its work in making homeownership more affordable and accessible to all Americans. Better was ranked #1 on LinkedIn’s Top Startups List for 2021 and 2020, #1 on Fortune’s Best Small and Medium Workplaces in New York, #15 on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 2020 list, and was listed on Forbes FinTech 50 for 2020. For more information, follow @betterdotcom.
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2tps://www.fanniemae.com/research-and-insights/forecast/awaiting-improvement-affordability
