"Brenda McCaskill decided in 1984 that it was time to buy her first homeâ€"or at least learn as much as she possibly could about the topic. With no relatives or friends familiar with the process to guide her, she decided to embark on a monthslong fact-finding mission to gather information on becoming a homeowner. In a stroke of luck, McCaskill's hunt for data coincided with the opening of First Class Inc., a Dupont Circle nonprofit adult learning center. She happened upon a catalog and signed up for one of its maiden courses, a seminar for first-time homebuyers called 'Buying a House in D.C. and You Don’t Have $100,000?'"
