Hungover.
Childhood Home.
Dad's Texting Again.

Brunch got out of hand and you're back in your old room. Let's work on the way out.

You've got a job. You're capable. But the path from “same curtains since middle school” to “my name on the deed” never got explained to you.

Mimosa is a free place to learn how credit and mortgages actually work and to browse real starter homes under $300K. No lectures, no gimmicks, and nobody touches your credit.

Free. No bank connection. No credit pull. We don't report to credit bureaus.

Mimosa and Meatloaf are two takes on the same story: same homes, same free game. Try the Meatloaf theme.

About 345,000 homes are for sale under $300K across the US right now.

Estimate based on Realtor.com listing data, Sept 2026.

Two paths. Run your own numbers.

College can be worth it. So can a starter home. Most people never see the math side by side, so we're building a calculator that does that.

🎓

The Diploma-First Path

Tuition and loan payments up front, then renting while you pay them down. Plug in your tuition, your rent, and your loan rate.

🏠

The Deed-First Path

Save for a down payment, buy a starter home, and build equity as you pay down the loan. Plug in your price, your rate, and your down payment.

The Path calculator: coming soon

The calculator is illustrative and uses the assumptions you enter. Home values can fall as well as rise. Owning has costs that renting doesn't (taxes, insurance, repairs, HOA). It isn't financial advice and doesn't predict your results.

Starter homes under $300K. Real listings, real links.

We're building a board of public, government-owned homes for sale plus homes listed by licensed local agents. Every card links to the official listing, so you're always dealing with the real source.

Coming soon: government-owned homes from HUD's public inventory, updated from HUD's open data

Coming soon: homes listed directly by licensed agents, with the brokerage shown on every listing

Search homes by state or ZIP

The board is just getting started, so you may see only a few homes (or none) for now.

Mimosa isn't affiliated with HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or USDA. Listings come from public sources or the listing agent and may be out of date. Confirm price and availability with the listing source. HUD homes must be bid on through a HUD-registered broker. Equal Housing Opportunity.

From the basement to the open house, in three steps.

1

Learn the game.

Quick daily missions teach you what goes into a credit score, how a mortgage payment is built, and what lenders typically look at. You earn XP for learning, not for anything that happens to your actual credit.

2

Find your starter home.

Browse homes under $300K in your state. Save the ones you like.

3

Talk to the pros, on your terms.

When you're ready, ask to be connected with the listing agent for a home you pick. You choose who to talk to. Licensed agents and lenders give the professional advice, and we're not one of them.

Duolingo energy. Zero credit risk.

Your level goes up when you learn something, not when your score moves. The game uses a practice score, a pretend number that reacts to the choices you make in the game, so you can see how things like on-time payments or high balances tend to affect a score without risking your real one.

Your practice score is not your real credit score. We never ask for your SSN, never pull your credit, and never report anything to any bureau. You can get your real reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Start Level 1, Free

Sample missions

Level 1

Practice score only. Not your real credit.

Budget Boss

Build a sample monthly budget

+50 XP

Payment Basics

What's in a mortgage payment?

+30 XP

Report Reader

Spot the 5 sections of a sample credit report

+20 XP

Down Payment Math

3.5% vs 10% on a $200K home

+40 XP

What we do, and what we don't.

We do

  • Teach credit and homebuying basics for free
  • Show homes under $300K from public and agent sources
  • Connect you with a listing agent if you ask
  • Keep the game free

We don't

  • Report anything to credit bureaus
  • Pull, check, or change your credit
  • Dispute items on your credit report
  • Promise a score, an approval, or a move-out date
  • Give financial, legal, or tax advice
  • Sell your contact info

I graduated in 2008. You know what happened next.

I did what I was told: college, loans, the whole thing. Then the economy fell apart and a lot of us moved back home with a degree and a balance. Nobody taught me how credit, mortgages, or ownership worked. I built Mimosa to be the thing I wish I'd had at 22: honest, a little funny, and free to start.

Ryan Metzgar, founder, Baltimore

Read the full story →

Have a home under $300K? Put it in front of first-time buyers.

Founding rate: $29 per home for 90 days. List it with your brokerage and the official listing link. Buyers who ask about your home come straight to you.

Listing fee is a flat advertising fee. It's not contingent on leads, showings, or closings. No guarantee of inquiries or sales. Listings must comply with fair housing law.

Ready to get out of the basement?

Play the free credit game and get first dibs on new homes in your area.

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We never sell your info. Privacy Policy