06/02/2026
You're going to want to share this with someone who thinks they can't afford to buy a home or is waiting for interest rates to drop before making a move.
(And yes, Josh gave me permission to share these numbers because he hopes his story will help someone else. Otherwise, client information is always kept confidential.)
Five years ago, Josh was just 20 years old when he decided he wanted to become a homeowner. He hired me to help him find a property, and after looking at several options, he purchased a manufactured home on a beautiful piece of land for $80,000.
It wasn't a dream home. It was a starter home.
Josh made improvements, took excellent care of the property, paid his mortgage and bills on time, built strong credit, and let time work in his favor.
Fast forward five years.
Josh proposed to a precious girl and they were ready to start their life together in a newer, nicer home.
We prepared his home for the market, completed a pre-listing plan, staged it to attract buyers, and received multiple offers. His property sold for $130,000, creating significant equity in just five years.
Their original plan was to buy land and build. I connected them with a builder, and after exploring the numbers, they realized purchasing an existing new construction home made more financial sense.
So we started searching again.
Then the perfect opportunity appeared: a brand-new 4-bedroom home that had come back on the market after another buyer's contract fell through.
The home included:
• A huge kitchen island with beautiful granite countertops
• A level yard
• Brand-new washer and dryer
• Refrigerator
• Window blinds
• Gutters
• A $4,000 builder incentive
• And, because they closed before month-end, a 4.99% interest rate
Two days ago, at just 25 years old, Josh and Audra closed on a beautiful new home valued at nearly $300,000. The money Josh made on the sale of his first home covered his downpayment on his new home with another $15,000 to spare for new furniture to fill their home.
The lesson?
Don't wait for the perfect interest rate, the perfect market, or the perfect house.
Buy the best home you can truly afford and get started with home ownership. It's your stepping stone to the next level.
Your first home doesn't have to be your forever home. It simply needs to be your first step.
While many people spend years renting and waiting on rates to drop, homeowners are typically building equity, improving their credit, and positioning themselves for their next move.
Historically, home values appreciate over time. Waiting for lower rates can sometimes mean paying a higher purchase price later and missing years of equity growth.
Josh didn't wait. He started.
Five years later, that decision changed the trajectory of his financial future.
That's the power of homeownership. That's how wealth is built, one step at a time.
