Affordability Accelerator week 3: Closed Doors & Open Windows
Hello, Stakeholders of Almost Home Financial!
As a reminder, Almost Home addresses the needs of working families who can afford the costs of home ownership but are denied access to a mortgage. The company offers a financial path for home-buyers to become mortgage-ready within three to six months, including an injection of capital in the form of shared equity to resolve credit, debt and savings hurdles, as well as a personalized playbook to provide step-by-step instructions, encourage progress and track milestones.
The highlight of the week
This week we secured a partner to conduct user research. We are working with BCL (Business & Community Lenders) to develop financial profiles of their clients and conducting user interviews of clients that have dropped out of their program. Together, the research should provide BCL with insights on their current client set as well as a better understanding of how they might retain more clients. For Almost Home, we have access to firsthand accounts of the homeownership journey, including pain points and user needs, which will inform our pilot development process.
Asks
- Do you know of any examples of Texas-based shared equity models?
- User Research (Consumer Financial Profiles) — do you know of anyone who is planning on buying a home in the next 12–24 months who might be willing to discuss their financial profile?
- Facebook Survey / Ads — do you have experience posting Facebook ads or surveys to gauge interest in product features and benefits?
KPIs
The KPIs we’re tracking are those that lead to the successful launch of a pilot program in the next 10 weeks.
Consumer Traction
- Confirmed user research project with Austin-area affordable housing hub
- Confirmed individual user intervies with clients who have expressed homeownership as a near-term goal of local social enterprise
- Development of user interview script and guide
Mortgage Lender Traction
- 1 meeting requested with a realtor to discuss mortgage lender segments and their respective interest in Almost Home’s value proposition
We’re excited to build on this week’s momentum!
Haydee Moreno
Founder
