Back in late summer when WPLN News first interviewed Ellen Mahurin, she was sleeping on her couch in a Franklin two-bedroom townhouse.

Nashville area rents skyrocketed 19% last year. That showed up on her rent renewal letter in February as an over $500 increase.

Mahurin feared she’d have to leave Williamson County sooner or later because her income wasn’t keeping up with the area. But she wanted to remain in Williamson, to make sure her 16-year-old daughter could stay enrolled at her high school and because her custody agreement requires her to be within 50 miles of her ex-husband.

“She really puts in her best effort to just take care of everybody,” Aeron Mahurin said on a recent morning as she headed to school. “Which is kind of exhausting for her. But I appreciate that she’s trying so hard. I think someone should take care of her.”

Despite consistently saving information on potential rental units since March 2020, she still wasn’t prepared for her stressful housing search.

MORE: As Nashville’s rents rise, this mother of 2 considers drastic options

Now she’s scored a three-bedroom townhouse, about a 30-minute commute from her daughter’s school. It’s a trade-off, but she had to make it to find a place for the right price.

So, how did she pull it off? Her high school friend bought the townhome.

“I think she would do the same thing for me,” Ellen’s friend said. “I actually don’t think. If we were switched financially, it would be her buying the house.”

The friend, Ariel King, lives in North Carolina and sold a rental property she owned seven months ago. King didn’t plan on doing business with a friend, but she says she thought it was the best way to use her resources and inheritance.

Because the market is so tight, King did this without getting an appraisal or inspection, even though those are big no-nos in home buying. 

“Not everyone has a friendship that can come through for them like this,” King says. “What is everyone else supposed to do?”

Mahurin says she knows everyone doesn’t have a friend who’s able to help. And she doesn’t take it lightly. They have a rental agreement to ensure there’s a protection in case their relationship changes.

Mahurin says she plans to stay in the townhome for at least five years. That’ll give her teenagers more time to finish school.

She now has a pink stripe in her hair compared to a solid gray cut she was wearing. And her voice sounds lighter than a few weeks ago.

“I definitely feel hopeful,” she says. “I’m going to be able to catch up on money, expenses and put some money away.”