For Alyce Jones, the road to first-time homeownership spanned years and, toward the end, included an unanticipated detour.

The single mother of two boys moved from Chester, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington in 2015, to take advantage of better schools in the Wilmington area.  While renting and living with family members for several years, Jones found full-time employment as an admissions coordinator for Cadia Healthcare. She eventually added a part-time job as a package handler and trainer for Federal Express. 

In 2024, Jones began the process of buying her own home. In October 2024, a North Carolina-based lender pre-approved her for a mortgage.

She began working with realtors Bryant and Mercedes Cuff and with their help, found a   three-bedroom townhouse in North Wilmington that had plenty of space for her and her sons and was in the school district her youngest attended.

Jones submitted an offer in 2024 and gave her landlord 60 days’ notice of her intention to move out.  But when her mortgage application was submitted to the same lender who had pre-approved her application the previous month, she was told she did not qualify for the loan because of her debt-to-income ratio.

Since she had already given her landlord notice of her intention to move out, Jones was in a bind.  She faced the real possibility of being homeless.

Fortunately, the Cuffs negotiated an arrangement with the prospective seller so Jones could rent the townhouse until she was able to purchase it.  Then, they connected her with Tracy Chongling, vice president of Mortgage Lending for Rate.

For nearly a year, Chongling worked with Jones, guiding her on how to lower her debt-to-income ratio.  During that time, Jones also reached her two-year anniversary with her part-time FedEx job, so that income could be included in her mortgage application.

In addition, Chongling introduced Jones to DSHA’s mortgage programs and by October 2025, Jones’s application for a DSHA FHA First State Home Loan for $162,000 was approved.  She also received 3 percent of the final loan amount – $4,860 — for closing cost assistance.  Bringing $1,300 of her own money to the table, Jones closed on the townhouse on Nov. 5, 2025.

Although the homebuying process was stressful, Jones says she cried happy tears the day she closed on her new home.

“I’ve always been uncomfortable with someone else being in control of where I live,” she said. “The fear of being homeless is what kept me motivated.”

Jones praises DSHA’s mortgage program, calling it “a lifesaver for people in my situation.” The program provided the financial assistance she needed to replace the money she used to pay off debts to improve her debt-to-income ratio.

She also speaks in glowing terms about Chongling and her realtors the Cuffs. “They jumped through hoops for me and were in contact with me every day.  I couldn’t ask for a better team.”

As for advice she would give others looking to buy their first home: “Make sure the lender is for you.  Do research on them.  Make sure everyone you work with is reputable.” 

Jones puts her homebuying experience into broad perspective: “If you want something bad enough, you find a way.”