People of EarnIn: Derek Peters

For Derek, buying a home always seemed like an unreachable dream, which I’m sure many of us can relate to. But now that he’s gained some valuable knowledge while working as a graphic designer at a mortgage company, he’s finally ready to become a homeowner. Here’s his story:

“I always wanted to draw for the Simpsons so I went to school for animation. But after a couple of years of drawing all the time, I realized how much I hated it. I loved art but relentless drawing frame by frame was so tedious. Then a friend of mine hooked me up with a job doing graphic design and I fell in love with it, not only as a way to make money, but also as a tool for expression. Plus, I was pretty good at it so I changed my major and here I am.

Now I’m doing graphic design and digital marketing for a mortgage company which has inspired me to start working towards buying my first home. I live in Southern California where mortgages are some of the highest in the whole world. And until recently, I didn't think it was attainable. I thought I’d be running my whole life and have to move out of state to afford a home. Because, when you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it feels like you never have a cushion and you're just stuck in this hamster wheel, running in circles. But now I'm understanding more about the process and what it takes. I'm saving money, getting my credit score in shape, and for fun, searching for what's available and what I can afford.

My job has helped me discover a bunch of programs and understand how brokerages work with people to get them a low down payment or down payment assistance. It’s also taught me other things like money management, credit scores, and getting lower interest rates. So it's becoming more of an attainable goal rather than just a wild dream.

I found EarnIn just doing app searches on my phone. I don't think I necessarily needed it at the time, but I thought it would come in handy. I tried it out and the interface was really cool. It was seamless, glitchless, and just very user-friendly. I loved it. I keep using it now, even if I don't need money, just to see the screen explode when I hit cash out!

In six months, I want to have a good enough credit score to entertain finding a couple of places to make an offer on. As for where I’d like to live, I want to go up to Silverado Canyon, where it’s off the beaten path. I just like the wildlife and the majestic beauty of nature. Hopefully, the house has a big kitchen since I like to cook, ample room for the kids to play, like a big yard, and a place to entertain family and friends. And then I want a secret room where you pull a book out of a bookshelf and it spins around.”

With these blogs, we want to show that the EarnIn community is filled with real people working to get to a better financial place. Share your story with us at stories@earnin.com.