Loan disappointment

Hi guys. My boyfriend and I (24f, 24m) have been apartment/house hunting for the past year. We came to realize that we would rather start earning equity and building our future together in a home rather than renting. We both saved up about $12,000 for down payment.

We aimed to get a townhouse and after numerous offers had been shut down, finally found one that is perfect for us! Great location, neighbors and commute to both of our jobs. Our lender found us a first time homebuyer loan that would allow us to put down $11,000. The house is was listed at $215,000 and we ended up offering $220,000 and getting our offer accepted.

The problem now is our lender let us know that we no longer qualify for the loan we were banking on after signing paperwork and even getting a closing date. We need to come up with an additional $6,000 to keep our monthly payment from going over budget. Apparently our joint incomes are too high for the programs in PA. The second problem being we only have a month to figure that out (less than that in reality).

In my dream world, 60 people would donate $100 to my cause, but I’ll also accept advice for free. Would you try and scrounge up gift money in that time, or call it a loss and join the search again. Should we risk asking the seller to cover some of the closing costs?

Sincerely, an exhausted second year teacher who just wants to get her life rolling.

P.s. if anyone has tips on how to earn that much money in that timeframe, my ears are open :)