If I were starting over today at 44, here’s what I’d do.
I’d start with a house like this. $39,900 in Toledo, Ohio.
1. I’d stop whining about how expensive everything is and start looking at what I could actually afford.
2. I’d get a part-time second job or do Rover. I’d list the shit I wasn’t using on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. And I’d stack cash.
3. I’d look for the lowest point of entry in my market with room to improve. This house is currently a one-bedroom. I’d figure out what it would take to turn it back into two.
4. I’d ditch the expensive debt, cook at home, and put in the 6–12 months of effort to get myself ready to buy.
5. I’d aim for 20% down. On this house, that’s $7,980. I’d also save for closing costs, repairs, and a cushion for whatever breaks first.
6. I’d live in it for two years. Turn it back into a two-bedroom. Improve it a little at a time. Finish the basement if it made sense. I’d rent the extra bedroom and put that money toward the work.
7. At the two-year mark, I’d look at selling. I’d want it to be the nicest house a buyer could get at that price. I’d run the numbers before deciding whether moving actually put me ahead.
8. I’d use the proceeds to buy something a little larger or nicer. And I’d repeat until I got to the house I wanted to stay in.
I did this over 12 years. That’s how I got into the neighborhood and house I plan to stay in.
I worked a part-time job at Ross. I sold on eBay. I put in the effort, and I lived in houses that needed work while I worked on them.
My first house wasn’t my forever home. It was what got me started.