Taevon Cottman-Dupont and Syiarah Dupont-Cottman, both 19 years old, have been together and living on their own since they were 17. After graduating from Polytech High School, a comprehensive technical school in Woodside, Delaware, they rented an apartment and worked full-time at jobs they started while they were students. Taevon is an automotive technician and Syiarah is an office manager for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. 

At the start of 2025, after their rent increased $100 a month for the second year in a row, Taevon and Syiarah wondered whether they would be better off putting those monthly payments toward a mortgage rather than rent. That would allow them to reap the financial benefits of owning a home, such as the ability to build equity and use interest payments as an income tax deduction. They had saved money and obtained credit cards when they turned 18, so the couple had built solid credit histories for more than a year. Taevon says they decided “why not go all in and have a home of our own.”

Taevon and Syiarah began researching real estate agents on the Internet and social media. They were impressed with Evie Ross, a realtor with Keller Williams Central Delaware, in Dover, after seeing her on TikTok. “She was understanding and very straightforward,” Taevon says. “She didn’t try to talk us into something we didn’t want and gave us no unwanted advice.”

Ms. Ross also connected Taevon and Syiarah with Ed Rexroth, Branch Manager at Lower LLC, a lender in Dover. Based on their savings and credit history, he determined that Taevon and Syiarah qualified for Delaware State Housing Authority’s (DSHA) Welcome Home First State mortgage program, which would give them 3% of their final loan amount to put toward down payment and closing costs. 

Taevon and Syiarah were pre-approved for a mortgage in mid-January and started house hunting the following weekend. After looking at four properties, they decided to place an offer on a detached ranch house in Felton. The offer was accepted a day later, and Taevon and Syiarah closed on the home in mid-February. With a first mortgage loan of almost $334,000, they received $10,012 for down payment and closing cost assistance from DSHA.

Mr. Roxroth says it is unusual for a couple as young as Taevon and Syiarah to buy a home. “In 27 years in this business, it’s a first for me,” he said. “They have more on the ball than some 30- and 40-year-olds I have worked with.”

Since purchasing their home, Taevon and Syiarah have married and Syiarah will soon graduate from Delaware Technical Community College with an associate degree in applied science. She hopes to use her degree to work with children.  Taevon, who will soon turn 20, continues to earn automotive technician certifications from General Motors.

Homeownership has given them both satisfaction.

Taevon says that when he takes their dog for a walk, he enjoys “standing on the edge of our property, knowing that it’s ours.” Syiarah says they also like having more privacy and being able to decorate and make changes without having to ask someone else’s permission.

As first-time homebuyers, Taevon and Syiarah admit they were surprised at how much information they needed to provide before being pre-approved for a mortgage, but they are appreciative of DSHA’s homeownership programs. They say that everyone they worked with along the way was helpful, especially realtor Evie Ross.

Their advice to other young, first-time homebuyers is to save money, find a reliable job and stick with it. From their experience, they learned that lenders like to see prospective homebuyers in their jobs for at least two years before they are inclined to issue mortgages. “Stay consistent and confident,” Taevon said. “Have goals and be ambitious. Also, be patient and find the right home for you.”