By Cosette Snarr

Several years ago, we were living in a twin home. This was before they were called "townhomes" and considered a smart option for homeownership. Back then, places like ours were mostly seen as low-income housing—and at the time we moved in, that’s exactly what it was for us.

But for four years, that little home was exactly what we needed. Eventually, though, life shifted. Our four children were growing, and I had just accepted a new job—fifty miles away. It became clear it was time to find a bigger space in a more central location, somewhere between my job and my husband’s. After some searching, we found it—the perfect house in the ideal neighborhood. The only thing standing in our way was the down payment, which we planned to get from selling our twin home.

The only problem? The real estate market was at rock bottom. Interest rates hovered around 13%, and homes in our neighborhood weren’t selling at all. In fact, many people had simply given up—walking away from their houses and handing them back to the bank after trying to sell for years. But we didn’t let any of that discourage us.

The agent who would help us with the purchase and construction of our new home had some advice: “Put your house up for sale by owner,” he said. “I’ll help you with the paperwork when you find a buyer.” So we did.

I’ll never forget the moment my husband pounded the little For Sale sign into the front yard. Our neighbor stood nearby, watching the whole scene unfold with a look of disbelief.

“You’re gonna try and sell your place?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“No,” my husband said confidently. “We’re going to!”

She just shook her head and chuckled, “Good luck!”

Just a few days later, we got a call from our realtor. One of his clients, who hadn’t qualified for one of their homes, was interested in ours. We were thrilled—until he added the catch: the man had no money for a down payment. But… he did own two Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Would we accept that?

The real question was, would the bank accept it? Honestly, we didn’t care how the man came up with the money, as long as we got what we needed for the house. Thankfully, with the market in such rough shape, the banks and lenders were getting creative. They accepted the cars as collateral, and those Mercedes became our down payment.

Ten days after planting that sign in our yard, we pulled it back out.

Our neighbor, spotting us from across the lawn, wandered over again. “Giving up already?”

“No,” my husband said, grinning. “We sold it.”

The look on her face? Priceless.

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