CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio — For Danielle McLeish in Canal Winchester, the rental search has been a grind.
When asked what one word would describe her months long search she said: “difficult.”
The mom of three grappled with saving to buy a home or saving to afford first and last month's rent.
“You [also] have to show you make three times the rent so as a single mom having to do everything myself, having anyone at home with my kids makes life really hard,” she said.
According to Rentful, one-third of Ohio tenants are having trouble paying rent.
In many cases the rent is costing more than a mortgage. Even with record high interest rates, some renters are considering becoming first time home buyers. The reality is inventory is low, and that's a challenge.
If you can find a home that fits your budget, programs like Freddie Mac's BorrowSmart can help with $2,500 towards your down payment or closing costs.
“There are some programs out there statewide or local wise that give you down payment assistance programs,” said Joe Sauk, president of Sauk Mortgage Group. “But the problem with some of those programs is this: they typically charge you a higher interest rate and sometimes the closing costs are higher."
Saving for a down payment was still out of reach, so Danielle McLeish chose to stick with renting.
“I reached out for a lot of support,” she said.
And her story has a happy ending. Move in day is Saturday, she found a home to rent in Columbus.
"I'm really looking forward to being in Columbus. I'm a runner a lot of times we run the streets of Columbus so it will be really cool to have that in my backyard,” she said. “I just feel like it's supposed to be this way."