Robin Reed, Director of Online Communications

by Robin Reed, Online Outreach Manager,
National Women's Law Center

Last year, I followed the one piece of advice that every financial expert will agree on, and took a big step toward long-term economic stability. I bought a home.

Like many first-time home buyers, as soon as I made that first phone call to a realtor, I became addicted to HGTV. I wanted the tiled backsplash, the grand foyer, the two-story family room with fifteen-foot windows covered by remote-controlled honeycomb blinds. I wanted to live in a hip, urban area with perfect safety ratings and three cupcake shops on every block.

What I got was a one-bedroom condo in a sleepy neighborhood with a view of the Metro overpass.