Buying my first home at 25 means everything | Real You Leadership Team
Hey :), I’m Joely, Real You Leadership’s Marketing Strategist and I bought my first home this year, by myself, at 25 years old.
I want to share why this is so important to me, what it took to get here, and all the revelations I’ve had along the way.
My dreams of moving out of my parents house + living alone
So let’s start from the beginning, I’m a child of immigrants and the only girl out of three, so I’ve ALWAYS craved my own space and privacy (if you know, you know).
In 2018, I moved back home from college with tens of thousands of student loan debt, no job offers, and a motivation to turn all of that around as soon as possible. I can’t go without saying, I had the privilege to move back home and live rent-free which helped me save during this time.
Moving back to my parent’s home lit a fire in me to push myself harder than I ever had, both in the best and worst ways. I was feeling the immense pressure to succeed and justify all the money and time spent in college along with being responsible for repaying my loans, so I worked my ass off.
I eventually found a job and later decided to add freelancing to the mix, so I was busy at least 6 days out of the week. And trust me when I say, this isn’t a flex, I was miserable half of the time. Okay maybe more than half, if I’m being honest. The only thing that kept me going was my deep desire to make my dreams come true (as you see in the picture below).
This is a page out of my journal that repeatedly wrote in to feel like progress was within my reach. I wrote everything that I wanted:
A great income where I can sustain myself without my parent’s help
A place to call my own where I feel safe and at peace
Pay off my student loans
More free time/less obligations
How it happened + following my gut and values
I don’t think I’m unique when I say that the homebuying process is difficult. From searching for listings online, to shopping for a mortgage, and closing on a home, it’s all a foreign language.
But with the help of my parents, Youtube, and my realtor I was finally able to get pre-approved and finally start viewing some homes. This is where I really had to get focused, tap into my intuition, and dig deep into my values because the reality was I had a *very tight* budget in the homes I could afford.
The first few homes I visited were in pretty bad shape (some even looked scary), needing at least $20k in renovations before being able to move in.
I had to really ask myself what was most important and be willing to negotiate with my own terms. Was I going to give in on location, square footage, number of bedrooms, backyard, or the condition of the home? Was I going to make this life-changing decision based on what someone else wants?
My peace of mind was at the very top of my list, so in the end I chose a home that was ready to move into because I wasn’t interested in dealing with a fixer-upper.
That’s why setting values is such an integral part of our leadership group coaching program, because it anchors us to that bigger picture and North Star. There are so many obstacles and distractions along our journeys, but we can always get back on track with a clear vision and commitment to our values.
A 360 moment + celebrating myself
Life has a beautiful way of reminding you where you’ve come from, for me it happened with this home. When I first viewed it with my realtor and my dad, I only thought one thing: “wow this looks exactly like the house I grew up in”.
^This is a photo of me in my childhood home’s kitchen
The big difference was, my parents were in their early 30s, recently immigrated with two kids when they purchased their home. And here I was at 25, single, buying mine, and that made me so proud. If that isn’t a 360 moment, then I don't know what is.
I've always had high expectations for myself, so much so that I didn’t take time to stop and smell the roses. But not with this, I am celebrating myself to the fullest for this milestone.
This home means I have my own autonomy, my own safe space, and it is what I deserve to have.
To any WOC, daughter of immigrants, reading this, you are worthy and deserving of peace, joy, and safety. Resist the urge to water down your dreams and go for what you want, full speed.
If you’re looking for a guide and supportive community of WOC to help you make empowered decisions, live aligned with your values, go after your biggest dreams, and celebrate tf out of it every step of the way, then join here.
Marketing Strategist & Career Coaching Content Writer
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