If you’re a renter, it’s so easy to feel that you’re “behind” if you haven’t hit the homeownership milestone yet. So I think it’s important to pull back the curtain and look at how people are actually buying homes — not in a “They did it, so why can’t you?” kind of way, but more like, “Hey, what’s really going on here??” When your college friend posts their new house on Instagram, they don’t also show off the check from their parents that made it possible, but chances are they wouldn’t be there without it. —meowmeow4492 —applesaucey —numbaonestunna —nikkic487aa5fb7 “We sold that house last year for about a $40,000 profit.” —KatieCat “Our mortgage is half of what we spent living in New York City/New Jersey, and we are finally able to live within our means. Our situation is part luck, part privilege, and part making good decisions at the right time.” —leil4958f933d —janeaustinismyhomegrl —stkal09 —lynnai —sd2014
- Sticking to a strict budget and not increasing spending over the years as I made more money.
- Working side jobs while I was hourly, then working double time for years to earn bonuses once salaried. “Ways I just got lucky:
- Being married and therefore being able to combine our income.
- Living in a city with rent control laws. After 10 years in my apartment, I was paying less than 70% of what others in the complex were paying.
- A lawsuit settlement from my former employer that came out to about half a year’s pay after taxes and my attorney’s cut.
- Signing an agreement promising not to sue another company, which came out to maybe a couple of months’ pay after taxes.
- Finding a new job that, without any exaggeration, nearly doubled my salary overnight.” —OatmealTheGnome
