I Bought My First House at 22

[Jake Andronico]

I bought my first house at 22.

But I’m definitely not self-made.

My parents co-signed because I couldn't qualify on my own.

A family friend loaned me the rest of my down payment at 5% interest only (which was actually expensive at the time).

Without both of them, I wouldn't have been able to buy the house (incredibly grateful).

I moved into one bedroom and rented the other four to UNR students for $500 per room.

It sounded like a perfect plan...

Until I was actually living it.

I worked six days a week at the Ritz-Carlton in Lake Tahoe, flipped electronics on eBay before and after work, and came home to a house full of roommates.

There were nights I was woken up at 1:00 a.m. by broken glass.

Music blasting when I had to be up early.

Awkward conversations about cleaning.

Parking issues.

Trash. Lots of trash.

Looking back, that season of life was one of the hardest I've experienced.

I went on very few dates (before I met my wife).

I rarely saw friends more than once or twice a year.

There were plenty of days I wondered if all the sacrifice was worth it.

But I kept one number in my head:

$100 per day.

If I could average saving $100 every day, I'd have enough for another down payment.

Fifteen months later, I'd saved $45,000.

That became the 10% down payment on my second property.

Those first two homes completely changed the trajectory of my life.

Not because they made me rich overnight.

Because they taught me lessons I still use every single day.

They taught me how to communicate with people.

How to solve problems.

How to delay gratification.

How to be resourceful when I didn't have much money.

How to be grateful for the people who believed in me before I could do it on my own.

Everyone loves hearing the success story.

Very few people want to live through the part where you're sharing your bedroom with a curtain, working six days a week, cleaning up after roommates, and wondering if you're making a huge mistake.

Sometimes that's exactly what the beginning looks like.

And I'm incredibly thankful mine did.

[Bianca Barcelos]

This is so important! Thanks for the post.  I hope that this inspires many! It's hard work that happens over time, not automatic satisfaction and success.  Often we compare ourselves to others in the middle (or even toward the end) of their careers thinking that they just ended up there, ready to retire and sit back and relax instead of being proud and curious of the journey that let them to that place in life. I believe in a reasonable amount of struggle and sacrifice and hard work to get to where you want to be.  Love to see the real-life perseverance and reflection and self-awareness on the whole process.

Such wonderful reflections - what's next for you, Jake?