At 65, Joyce Caldwell is hitting the reset button. Since closing a USDA Single Family Housing Direct Loan to buy a home in Berlin, NH last February, her outlook on life has turned 180 degrees. “There's nothing like having your own home and your own security,” she says. “It's what it's all about, no matter your age.”
A registered nurse of 40 years, Joyce is a proud mom of two grown children, and grandma to her 2-year-old granddaughter. She was a single Mom for many years, working hard to pay bills and raise her kids into the successful adults they are today. “But throughout life's journey I have made some regrettable decisions,” she confides, “and after a very hard relationship ended, I found myself without a place to live.”

The unfortunate circumstances found Joyce in a rental home that one of her children owns, but it was far from ideal. “I didn't want to be dependent on my kids,” she explains. “It was hard, but I’m a survivor. So, I started looking at real estate on realtor.com, and was just blown away by the prices in the housing market. I knew I could never afford a 20% down payment and still have a nest egg for emergencies. As I was looking at the houses, I saw an ad at the bottom of the page: No money down, USDA loan. I thought to myself, ‘I wonder how that works.’ So the next day I called the USDA and left a message and got a call back from USDA Housing Specialist Theresa Zowasky. From there, everything began to change.”

Though Joyce successfully navigated the application process and received her prequalification to buy a home, actually finding one was not easy. “Locating a house that I could afford—one that wasn't a falling down shack—was quite difficult because in today’s market the choices are limited.” After signing roughly 10 purchase agreements that fell through, however, she eventually found what she was looking for. “Just like Goldilocks I had to find the one that was just right!” she says. “There were still some hoops to jump through, but I hung in there and didn't give up. Now I don't have to live with my kids and I can be independent as long as I live. Theresa was extremely helpful every step of the way—and there were lots of steps. But she was right there with me for any questions or concerns that I had, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for making this dream of home ownership possible!”