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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAs they reviewed their financial landscape for the first time, it became clear they were coming into the process with different needs. Romae carried debt that was weighing heavily on her ability to save, and her fianc\u00e9\u2019s main goal was to improve his credit score. The comfort and trust they felt with Kimberly made it possible for them to have open conversations they had avoided in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving a mediator made it a lot more comfortable for both of us,\u201d explained Romae. \u201cWhen it came time for that meeting, I told him, \u2018I have some debt.\u2019 I didn\u2019t disclose how much, but I felt like there was no judgment from her, so I was a lot more relaxed. And [the same thing happened] when we talked about his credit score\u2014it just helped both of us not judge the other person.\u201d Once they felt safe discussing their finances openly, they were ready to tackle the financial changes that would have the biggest impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, Romae raised the idea of consolidating her credit card debt into one loan, and Kimberly helped her look for the best options by cautioning her to read the fine print. \u201cKimberly told me to make sure that I was looking at the interest rate and payment terms, and that you\u2019re not agreeing to something that will put you further back,\u201d said Romae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This strategy lowered her payments by $400 per month and, as that debt came down, something equally meaningful happened: it opened the door for her fianc\u00e9\u2019s credit to rise, too. Because her credit profile was now stronger, she was able to add him to her credit cards and give him the chance to improve his score. What began as a solution for her debt became a shared win by lifting their respective credit scores by more than 60 points apiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Romae said Kimberly\u2019s patience and flexibility also made a huge difference\u2014especially since \u201cour toddler was at every meeting,\u201d she said, laughing. She appreciated Kimberly\u2019s willingness to walk through different scenarios and be completely honest about how each one would affect their goal of buying a home. \u201cI asked Kimberly, \u2018What happens if I decide to quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom?\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cAnd she was honest, telling me our financing options would change significantly because we\u2019d be working with just my fianc\u00e9\u2019s income.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time they reached closing day on their new home, their finances were organized, their credit scores had improved, and they had a clear, shared understanding of how to manage their household money. Buying their first home together was a milestone that meant far more than simply receiving keys. \u201cWe hosted our family for Thanksgiving with about 50 people, and I loved every minute of it,\u201d Romae said. Creating space for memories was one of the reasons they wanted a home in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that they\u2019ve achieved one of the biggest milestones of their lives\u2014closing on their first home\u2014they\u2019re excited to turn their attention to what comes next. As Romae put it, \u201cNow that we\u2019ve finally been able to close and move in and get settled, we can focus on our wedding and entrepreneurial ventures we\u2019re interested in exploring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a solid foundation beneath them, they\u2019re stepping into the next chapter with confidence, clarity, and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information:\u202fOperationHOPE.org<\/a>. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Like many couples dreaming of their future, Romae and her now-fianc\u00e9 had one goal at the top of their list: to buy a home of their own. But as a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":253814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-253813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hope-stories","tag-home"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253813"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253818,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253813\/revisions\/253818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/OH-Photo-5-1-1024x1024.png\")
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