With $49,000 in student loan debt, Josue Villalpando figured becoming a homeowner was a long way off.
“The thought of purchasing a home was definitely floating around, however I never actually looked into it knowing that I had such a big burden with my student loans,” he said.
A recent graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago, Villalpando, 29, took out private loans to pay for college. Unlike federal student loans, private loans typically have higher interest rates and fewer forgiveness programs, making them harder for borrowers to pay off.
Then, his fiancé came across the SmartBuy program – an initiative set up by the state to help incentivize residents to purchase a home while paying off their…
