Own It Makes Out-of-Reach Dream of Homeownership Come True
By Maneeya Tinfong Leung
Learning about Own It’s program for aspiring new homeowners, Raghi Bah had no hesitation.
In Dane County, only 13% of Black households are homeowners compared to 64% of white households. Whether it be redlining or prohibitions to generational wealth, systemic barriers contribute to the racial disparity in homeownership well into today.
That’s where Own It steps in: Providing educational courses and down payments to first-time homeowners, Own It empowers Black and brown communities to build generational wealth through homeownership while supporting them every step of the way.
Connecting with Own It
In 2021, Raghi Bah dreamed of owning a home. Her apartment was starting to feel cramped for her two kids, and her concern about rising rent prices increased with each lease renewal.
But her dream of homeownership felt out of reach: Bah was a single mother, in her second year of nursing school and working full-time as a certified nursing assistant. Her hectic schedule didn’t allow time to look into buying a home, and paying off tuition alongside day-to-day living expenses made saving difficult. Bah didn’t know where to begin.
“I didn’t even think it was possible for me,” Bah said.
That same year, however, Own It had partnered with One City Schools, and Bah, whose children attended the school, received an invitation to the program’s information session. Hearing about how she could start her path to homeownership was a revelation. “I just didn’t even think twice,” Bah said. “This is a big opportunity.”
For Bah, owning her home meant more than having a place to stay. Bah, who moved to Madison in 2018, had spent the last few years rebuilding her life after a divorce from a traditional marriage in which she didn’t have agency over her own finances.
“I had to get back on my feet all over, so coming to Wisconsin was a big challenge,” she said.
“I wanted that stability as a single mom,” Bah said. “I wanted to have a fixed budget to know what I’m paying ahead of time, so there’s no surprises later.”
Lessons on financial literacy
After the presentation, Bah signed up for Own It’s educational courses in wealth building and homeownership. Completion of Own It’s courses allows aspiring first-time homeowners to apply for the program’s down payment grant.
“What stood out for me was that they actually teach you about financial literacy,” Bah said about the course.
Before Own It, financial barriers kept Bah from thinking homeownership was possible. Not only did Bah not have the savings – she also had no formative guide on how to plan for it.
Growing up, Raghi’s family had to build a new start after immigrating to the U.S.. A household of nine, they weren’t able to move to a house where Bah could have a bed to herself until she was in high school. With Own It, Bah had the opportunity to build generational wealth that her family didn’t.
Own It taught Bah how to budget, build credit, and make long-term financial decisions. She learned how investing in a home could help grow her portfolio, empowering her to set – and achieve – new goals.
Balancing her 12-hour shifts at night, attending nursing school during the day and caring for her kids in between, Bah pushed her limits to complete Own It’s course. Classes on Zoom during COVID-19 made it a little easier. One City Schools’ childcare program helped provide additional care for her kids.
Bah completed the program and applied for Own It’s grant, which was $15,000 at the time. Learning she was chosen and moving forward, she said, “It was such an excitement.”
Bah recommends the financial literacy course for anyone, not just people interested in the grant: “The classes are very rewarding,” she said.
Finding her home
Own It’s support didn’t stop there. After Bah secured the grant, Own It’s ambassadors stepped in to guide Bah through the challenges in buying a home.
COVID made the housing market unfriendly to buyers, and affordable options were scarce. She and her realtor, Own It ambassador LeShawne Hunt, saw 19 homes. All the offers she made fell through.
Many times, Bah said, she wanted to give up. She felt like her budget was too low and that there wasn’t a place for her. She had stopped bringing her kids to house showings, knowing their disappointment was building up. But Hunt continued to take her to every tour, and her positivity and drive carried Bah through.
“I remember LeShawne said, ‘We’re gonna find you your home. I will not give up until we do,’” Bah said.
“And she did,” Bah said. Searching through every avenue, Hunt finally found the one for Bah on Facebook Marketplace.
At first, it felt too good to be true. But after taking one last house tour with Hunt and having the deal finalized by Loan Officer, Sara Whitley, another Own It ambassador, the place — a condo on Madison’s southwest side where Bah was already located — was finally hers.
“We got a beautiful home,” Bah said.
Bah and her family loved their new place. The condo was more spacious than their old apartment. The kids’ favorite addition was the balcony, while Bah’s was the washing machine that saved her trips to the laundromat on busy days (which, for her, are pretty much every day).
Once her purchase was finalized in June 2022, Bah told her family the news. She had kept the move a secret, not entirely believing until now that she could do it.
“They were shocked. They didn’t know where the opportunity came from, but they were happy,” Bah said.
Bah answered all their questions about Own It and how she achieved her home. She paved the way for her family: her nephew is currently on track to complete the program’s courses and apply for a grant.
Upgrading with Own It once more
Since purchasing her first home, Bah graduated and started working as a registered nurse. Her home’s value grew from $165,000 to $200,000 in three years. Her kids were growing older, and Bah always planned on eventually having a place where each could have a room of their own.
In 2025, she was ready to upgrade.
Thanks to Own It’s grant, Bah didn’t have to pay off any loans. All the profits from her condo could go straight into a down payment. With a higher budget, Bah found the process significantly less stressful.
Even so, the day of purchasing a new home was nothing short of hectic. To streamline the payment, Bah and her realtor finalized offers on her condo and the place she was moving into on the same day.
On May 22nd, Bah purchased her second home, a townhouse in McFarland. With this purchase, she got three bedrooms, two stories and one considerable addition to her portfolio.
Again, Bah said she wouldn’t have been able to do it without Own It ambassadors, this time, realtor Belinda Thomas.
Thomas didn’t just juggle all the logistics of making offers and finalizing closings at breakneck speed. She was also there for Bah through all stages of the move, helping by cleaning, packing and even renting out a storage space under her name.
A journey completed
Before every meal, Bah and her kids say dua, an Islamic prayer. For the last several years, this ritual has almost always featured the same wish.
“They say, ‘thank you for the food’ and then make dua – they make a wish to God – for us to get a bigger house,” Bah said.
After moving to the townhouse, Bah’s kids, out of habit, said the same prayer again. Then, her daughter laughed – they finally were in the “bigger house,” she realized.
Looking back on the last five years, with all the sleepless nights, back-to-back shifts and countless prayers for a new home, Bah said, “It was chaos. I’m thinking about it now. Like, how did I even get so far?”
“I always wanted to own my own home. So that was a dream that came true,” Bah said.