When David Tompkins finished graduate school in December, he and his wife, Tori Tompkins, wanted to move out of their Butler Township apartment into a house that better fit their needs, seeing that the couple would be getting a financial bump.

Tori said the couple started looking for a house in Butler County in February by updating their credit score and finding a Realtor, and dove in to browsing the housing market.

“The hardest part for us was just embracing the fact that the real estate market was crazy,” Tori said. “This being our first home, we knew it was something we had to take on together, so we kind of went all in.”

The Tompkins’ closed on a house in Zelienople in July, which Tori said was a quick but satisfying turnaround.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices was the real estate agency Tori said they used to find a house in-county. Chuck Swidzinski, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway, said the housing market in Butler County is seeing a rise in cost, but it is relatively affordable compared to other nearby Pennsylvania counties.

“The rates are rising, but the rates are really just getting back to normal,” Swidzinski said. “You can't go to many places where you can buy a house for under $100,000, but we have that in Butler.”

Swidzinski said his staff works regularly with people looking for their first house, but generally, they work more with people transitioning to ownership.

“I would say probably 25 percent might be renters that are looking to buy,” Swidzinski said. “The other people are moving up or downsizing.”

Before a potential home buyer even begins looking at floor plans, they typically get their finances straight to see what they can afford, according to Swidzinski.

Swidzinski said the average interest rate for a mortgage on a Butler County home is around six to seven percent, which is comparable to Allegheny County. Credit scores are still a big hurdle for obtaining a loan, so Swidzinski recommends house-seekers start there.

“You have to have around a 600 credit score or higher to be able to get a loan,” Swidzinski said. “You can get a Federal Housing Administration loan where you only need to put three percent of your money down.”

Swidzinski said Butler County has a lot of options in terms of location, lifestyle, house type and size. The disparities of cost for the different municipalities and regions of Butler County means that people can find a “good starter home” if they look hard enough.

Tori said she and her husband were not too picky about their first house. They were more concerned with the specs of the house than the exact location, she said.

“My husband and I had wanted to get a little outside of Butler,” Tori said. “We only had to look for two months before (real estate agent) Jared got us this house. It was just the right place at the right time.”

Having been in the business for more than 30 years, Swidzinski said trends have changed slightly in what people are looking for in a first-time home. Additionally, he said more people are looking for residences in Butler County, despite working in Allegheny County.

“People nowadays, they want the newer homes, a lot of the bigger homes,” he said. “Butler has a very diverse selection. Butler also has many different home varieties. We have a lot of condo communities; it can be more of a bedroom community to Pittsburgh.”

The Housing Authority of the County of Butler has an accessible housing program, which aids first-time homebuyers in navigating the housing market, and even through financial means.

Ed Mauk, CEO of the Butler County housing and redevelopment authorities, said finances can be difficult for people currently renting a living space to build up to the point where they can afford a down payment.

“A lot of it is financial barriers,” Mauk said. “If you are on a fixed income, it's hard to qualify for a loan. You've got to meet debt ratios, you need to qualify for mortgage unless you have a large stash of money, which many people don't.”

Mauk said the Butler County authority received a grant for $100,000 from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability Fund, and about $50,000 is remaining. Six applicants so far received the full $5,000 Mauk said, and there are a few more applicants in the pipeline for grants.

If qualified, the authority will match the homebuyer's contribution to close on the new home up to $5,000, or half of closing costs. One percent of a buyer’s contribution must be from the participant, according to the housing authority’s website.

Mauk said the housing authority has the resources to help more home buyers.

“There is no waiting list for it; it is done in conjunction with housing counseling program,” Mauk said. “One of the things we do and help with through counseling is to go through people’s budgets and see what they can afford in a home.”

According to Mauk, the personal help provided after a person closes on a house with assistance from the housing authority can be valuable as well, because many first-time buyers face unexpected challenges.

“When you rent to go to home ownership, it is more expensive — not just the monthly cost but the costs of home ownership,” Mauk said. “That prices a lot of people out of the market.”

Tori and David were able to take their time searching for a house because of their lease agreement, but not everyone has that luxury.

“We knew we wanted to buy a house right away,” Tori said. “Thankfully, we were month to month, so we didn’t have any time crunch.”

Swidzinski said the Tompkins’ sentiment is similar to many people as they find financial stability in their lives. He said his real estate crew works with people’s future wants, as well as their immediate needs to help them find a place they can call home well into the future.

“Most people don't rent all their life,” Swidzinski said. “They want a place to raise their family, a place they can do what they want to, put a pool in, put a fence in; that's things you can't do if you don't own a home.”

Mauk said that despite the financial challenges that come with owning your own property, there are some advantages when it comes to staking a claim in the housing market.

“That's one of the benefits is you lock in a home payment, and then it's unaffected, where rents typically go up every year,” Mauk said. It's a way to generate self-sufficiency and build wealth.”

Tori said she and David recently finished painting the interior of their house, and they have some more projects for their home on the horizon.

She said the design freedom afforded to the couple now that they own their space is well worth the price.

“For what we got, we’re happy with it,“ Tompkins said. “We just wanted something that was pretty new, something with a nice yard and neighborhood, and a place to start a family.”