Sara received the first sign from the universe while she was on the job delivering auto parts. She took a shortcut on a new route and noticed a “for rent” sign on a home in a manufactured-home community in Deering.

The timing was ideal. She had been living in a rental unit with her partner and teenage daughter for the last 10 years but the arrangement was no longer working out. 

When she got home, she looked up the property and discovered that the rent was an “exorbitant amount of money.” 

But she also noticed something else: a home for sale in the same neighborhood with numbers that looked more manageable. 

“In my mind, it was still a bit of a pipe dream,” Sara said. “But I wanted to come and see it.”

As soon as she walked in the door, she noticed more signs that it was meant to be hers — a three-season porch for her many plants, a shed that could be transformed into a workshop for her crafts, and a bedroom with a rainbow fan that was perfect for her daughter.

“I knew at that moment that this was going to be our home,” Sara said. “And in one way, shape, or form, it was gonna happen.”

The real estate agent gave her the name of three lenders who offered mortgages for manufactured homes. First on the list was the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. 

Sara felt hope. But doubt lingered.

“When you’re having to pay the bills and rent and all of those other things, saving up money to be able to purchase a home is all but impossible, especially as a single mother.”

On closing day last November, Sara and her daughter had already picked out paint colors for her room, including chalkboard paint to create a wall for doodling.

“It was a really big deal for my daughter to be able to make her room hers,” Sara said.

Sara could envision a welcome space — a sanctuary — where she could cook, have friends over, and create new traditions with her daughter. Flamingoes and colorful lawn decorations would make a statement to her neighbors. Summer would bring backyard stargazing and kayaking on the river nearby. 

Finally, it was closing day.

“There were little tears streaming down the face and I could feel it settling into my body that I was changing my — and my daughter's — life,” she said. “By the end of the process of signing all of the papers, I think my shirt was probably wet from the tears that were coming of pride and joy and excitement.”