Buying a house on a small budget with “This Old House” spin-off |

When Crystal and Jorge Javier outgrew their tiny attic apartment in New Jersey, buying a home felt like a natural next step. After all, they’d just gotten a cushy tax refund, and Jorge had earned a raise at work.

Jorge is a general manager for a real estate company and Crystal is a stay-at-home mom of a 1.5-year-old and 2-month-old, with a third baby on the way. The couple wanted parking, on-site laundry and more square footage. Their goal was to be within driving distance of both his work in New York City and their church in New Jersey.

Early into their homebuying journey, the couple got an intriguing offer: Did they want to be on TV? Jorge’s stepbrother’s girlfriend had a connection to a spin-off of the beloved “This Old House” show, titled “This First House”, which aired on April 27, 2026, on Roku. Show hosts Camille and Zack Dettmore would walk young couples through buying and fixing up a home, while footing the bill for the renovations.

Jorge had grown up watching “This Old House,” and after talking to the casting director, the couple agreed. But with no house, there’d be no show. They hurried to find a condo before production began.

The Javiers’ real estate agent referred them to a mortgage lender. But to their chagrin, the lender denied their application. The couple had too much debt and not enough income, pushing their debt-to-income ratio too high for the lender.

It was the first of many hurdles the couple faced while trying to buy a house on a small budget.

Financing a house before the show’s taping was no small feat

But FHA loans have stricter property requirements, including being “move-in ready.” Coupled with the couple’s preapproval amount, inventory was limited. It’s not an uncommon experience — a December 2025 Bankrate analysis found median American earners are priced out of 75% of the housing market.

“After we started searching within our budget, we realized there wasn’t much,” Jorge says.

Still, they toured available houses and made offers. Most of the time, they felt their offer wasn’t seriously considered. Other homebuyers were offering cash or as much as $30,000 over the listing price. Sellers are also wary of accepting FHA loans for their strict inspections, smaller down payments and longer closing times. “We had to expand our search and loosen our expectations,” Crystal says.

Finally, one offer was accepted, but then the couple was ghosted by the seller. Their real estate agent recommended they switch lenders to try to save the deal, so they transferred the files and were approved by a third, conventional lender. Jorge’s parents also threw them a lifeline — almost $30,000, to be exact — to make the purchase possible. “I did not even know that my parents could lend me that amount of money,” he admits. “It was a shock to me.”

The deal still didn’t go through. “I guess they didn’t think we could seriously afford it,” Crystal says. They were back to square one.

There was no opportunity for us to question anything along the way, because what do we know as first-time homebuyers with such a limited budget?

— Crystal Javier

Home sweet home, but not without compromise

Eventually, Crystal found a listing for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 1,000-square-foot condominium in Somerset County, New Jersey. It wasn’t as close to the city as they’d hoped, and it wasn’t a single-family home with a yard, driveway or in-unit laundry. But it did have a $275,000 list price, which allowed them to make an offer $25,000 over asking.

The couple had to compromise on a few of their original conditions. “The alternative was renting another place that was bigger and just throwing money down the drain,” Jorge says.

After their offer was accepted, they purchased the condo with a 7.25% mortgage rate.

“This First House” hosts helped the couple renovate

Now with the keys to their new house, the Javiers were ready for taping. Camille and Zack Dettmore, who run a home improvement company, helped them paint, renovate the kitchen and floors, install new lighting and appliances and purchase furniture for the premier season of “This First House.”

“They collaborated well with each other,” Camille says.

Still, Zack says you’re not going to watch the show and think the couple had an easy time. “It’s difficult for most people who are not affluent,” he explains. “It’s about managing your expectations and finding out what’s actually essential.”

Choosing a homebuying team was a “very intimate process”

The Javiers say the team you pick to help with homebuying matters — like choosing a mortgage lender and finding a real estate agent. “It’s a very intimate process, buying a home,” Jorge explains. “It’s kind of like marriage counseling.” He continues that your team should have your best interests at heart but also be willing to steer you in the right direction.

As first-time homebuyers on a tight budget, they didn’t always feel their team understood their needs until meeting the “This First House” crew. “It feels like you’re not being taken as seriously because your budget is so small,” Crystal says. “They have so much experience and we don’t know what we’re talking about.”

With young kids themselves, the Dettmores made the Javiers feel understood during the renovation. Both sets of parents know a house should be as practical and easy to clean as it is beautiful.

After moving in eight months ago, they feel at home. Jorge says he loves coming home to his family after work every night. And as homeowners, they value the freedom to sell or leave the home to their children one day.

“We’re building equity, and our money is not just going to somebody else,” Crystal says.

It also feels like they have a stake in the community. The couple pays property taxes, attends a nearby church and visits the local library and parks. “When a community is better, when a neighborhood is better, when people like it, when it’s nice, it increases property value,” Jorge explains. “And the people that live there are part of that.”