"You could smell the fresh paint," she said.
"It looked like they had put new carpet down as well; it seemed pretty good."
That was back in 2015.
Ms Bowman never got a chance to pick up her studies again.
A few weeks after moving into the property she fell mysteriously ill and has been battling multiple chronic illnesses ever since.
She would eventually be diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS), a controversial condition with some similarities to lyme disease, thought to be brought on by exposure to mould.
But it was years before Ms Bowman connected the mould in her home to her failing health.