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.