How Ella & Mitchell Bought a Home Right out of College – and Limited Job Experience
Can you buy a house without 2 years of job history? Yes — and Ella’s story proves it. With Ella just 19 years old and her partner fresh out of college, this couple bought a home on 1.3 acres with a 5.25% mortgage rate and no buy-downs. In this first-time homebuyer success story, you’ll see how they qualified without meeting the so-called “employment rules,” dodged a Zillow scam, and made a $2,100 mortgage work. This story breaks down what lenders actually look for — and why you don’t need to wait years to own a home.
Why They Didn’t Wait to Buy a Home — Even Without 2 Years of Job Experience
Ella and Mitchell had been renting a two-bedroom apartment for $1,500/month since they were 18. But everything shifted after a close friend passed away. That loss pushed them to stop “waiting for the right time” and take control of their future. The urgency wasn’t financial—it was emotional. They realized they wanted stability, freedom, and a space to call their own.
“Life’s too short to just be sitting around here renting.” — Mitchell
Instead of putting their goals on hold, they took action—and it led to one of the most important decisions of their lives.
How to Buy a House Without 2 Years of Job History: What Lenders Actually Look For
One of the biggest myths Ella and Mitchell debunked? That you need two full years of job history before you can qualify for a mortgage. Ella was only 19 and Mitchell was fresh out of college, yet they still got approved. How?
With a strong lending team, lenders were able to look at her broader financial picture and verify her income based on her current job and qualifications. This part of the story is a reminder to first-time buyers that the “rules” you hear online often don’t apply universally.
If you’re working and have reliable income—even without years of history—you may already qualify.
Solutions: How to Qualify Without Two Full Years on the Job
- Same field exception: If you recently changed jobs but stayed in the same line of work (e.g. went from one marketing job to another), lenders often count your entire work history.
- School counts as history: Recent graduates can sometimes use their college coursework or degrees in related fields as a substitute for employment history, especially for salaried positions.
- Full-time to part-time transition: If you’ve consistently worked part-time and recently went full-time, some lenders will consider your longer part-time history.
- Alternative documentation: Freelancers or self-employed buyers can use 1099s, bank statements, or contracts to show consistent income.
- Co-borrowers: Adding a parent or partner with established job history can help meet underwriting requirements.
Qualified lenders who understand and support first-time buyers will know how to navigate these options on your behalf.
The Zillow Scam That Almost Cost Them Their First Home
Ella and Mitchell’s homebuying journey nearly went off the rails after what should have been a simple online inquiry. While searching for homes on Zillow, they were connected with an agent who made them feel small — but it didn’t stop there.
After brushing off their questions and making them feel like burdens, the agent tried something even worse: selling them a flipped home they’d bought themselves— one Ella and Mitchell had expressed interest in earlier. The agent had purchased the home, marked it up, and then tried to push it back onto Ella and Mitchell at a profit. It was a deeply unethical move, especially targeting two young first-time buyers just trying to get their footing.
David’s Response: “We have this phrase in real estate where it’s called the fiduciary responsibility of when you create what we call an agency with a customer of the buyer. How on earth is there are you representing the fiduciary responsibility of the buyer?”
This kind of behavior highlights just how broken the system can be when agents prioritize profit over people. Fortunately, Ella didn’t stop there. She reached out through the How to Buy a Home network and got connected with a Unicorn Agent in Appleton, Wisconsin — a local, trusted realtor with first time buyer expertise who took her seriously, respected her journey, and put her goals first.
With the right guide, the experience flipped completely. What started as a discouraging and even predatory situation turned into one of empowerment, education, and trust. Their story shows how critical it is to have an advocate in your corner — especially when you’re up against a system that doesn’t always play fair.
From Apartment to Acreage: How They Made a $2,100 Mortgage Work
Ella and Mitchell were paying $1,500 a month in rent for a two-bedroom apartment. Their new monthly mortgage is closer to $2,100 — a notable increase. But they didn’t see it as a burden. In fact, they approached it as a strategic upgrade.
Because they had already been “practicing” with their budget — setting aside extra savings each month — the higher payment didn’t shock their system. They’d trained themselves financially for this leap. Mitchell described how they were putting away nearly $2,000 a month while renting, effectively conditioning their lifestyle around future costs.
Their perspective shifted when they realized that a significant portion of their mortgage payment — the interest — was comparable to what they’d been paying in rent. The rest? That was going toward building equity in a home they owned, on land they loved.
“We looked at what we were spending at rent, and we realized that… interest on the mortgage was very similar. So we had kind of decided, like, as long as our interest or rent is going down… we could count the interest as rent.” — Mitchell
With that mindset, their $2,100 mortgage wasn’t just a monthly bill — it was a long-term investment in stability, autonomy, and ownership. And that’s something rent could never give them.
Locking in a Low Rate Without the Job History Lenders Usually Want
Their timing wasn’t luck — it was a product of being ready to act the moment opportunity appeared.
Ella and Mitchell had already done the heavy lifting: budgeting, saving, researching, and assembling a support team they trusted. So when mortgage rates dipped briefly before climbing again, they moved fast. Within days, they had a unicorn realtor, a loan approval, and an offer accepted — all while locking in a 5.25% fixed rate without having to pay for a buy-down.
But none of that would have been possible if they were still “thinking about it.” Too many first-time buyers stay in limbo, waiting to feel more ready, or to check every box perfectly before making a move. What Ella and Mitchell did instead was decide. They didn’t wait to be perfect — they committed to the goal and prepared for the opportunity. That mindset is what positioned them to act when timing mattered most.
Buying a home isn’t about guessing the exact right day to enter the market. It’s about being prepared to act when the right window opens. Ella and Mitchell didn’t try to time the market — they got ready, stayed informed, and caught the window when it came. That preparation turned into real savings and a long-term advantage.
Buying Young Without Job History: Ella and Mitchell’s Advice
Ella and Mitchell know what it feels like to doubt yourself. But they also know what happens when you ignore the myths and get real guidance.
“It’s not impossible. You can do it. There are resources out there — no one expects you to do this alone.” — Ella
Their story is proof that buying a home under 20 is not only possible—it can be smart, empowering, and completely life-changing.
If you’re a renter thinking you’re too young, too broke, or too early to buy a home, think again. Ella and Mitchell did it. You might be able to, too.
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