Bring Lisa Back to Grandma's House

My name is Lisa and I want to buy back my grandmother’s house / my childhood home.

I made a post on Threads and it resonated with a lot of people, and some people even wanted to help me and they said that I should make a GoFundMe. So here we go!

My grandmother bought an empty lot and built this house in 1997. It was a little white ranch with a turquoise door and matching shutters, daisies in the garden. A few years later, she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away.

My mom divorced my dad, took a mortgage to buy the house out from her other four siblings, and moved us down the shore. She was a special education teacher, but my dad took off to Florida and never paid child support, so we struggled financially.

I knew that we were poor so I never asked for anything, ever. I was always embarrassed that our cars were old and breaking down. At times, we relied on government assistance for food stamps and healthcare. I was just really sad for my mom and how hard she fought to keep us in our home.

The house was going into foreclosure for years, but somehow my mom would always find a way to stall it.

Meanwhile, I took every honors class that I could in high school to earn a scholarship to go to a good college in New Jersey. My dream was to study hard, get a great job, and help my mom.

But in 2016, when I was a junior in college, my mom told me that she got the final notice. The bank was taking the house and we had to get out. So I took a leave of absence that semester and I helped her pack everything up in boxes.

We bounced around in a lot of different rentals over the last decade since we lost our home, but I always had hope that one day I could help us get back into “grandma’s house.”

Yesterday, I happened to be in my hometown, and when I went to drive past the house, there was a For Sale sign! They just put it on the market.

But it’s listed for 525k.

So, I made a post on Threads about the grief of my childhood home being so expensive, and a lot of people shared their similar stories.

Many of us can’t afford to buy the exact houses that our parents did 20 or 30 years ago (even though they’re older homes now!). This housing market is crazy.

Someone commented that they would love to help me and suggested that I set up this GFM with a goal of $100,000 to help me buy the house. Hey, maybe a miracle will happen!

If you feel so moved as to donate, please know that I really appreciate it. Thank you for reading my story and having a big heart. ❤️