Buying a house is one of those major grown-up milestones that’s half financial goal and half emotional leap. For over a decade as the host of the podcast “So Money,” I’ve heard from countless listeners each year who share their dreams of finding the perfect home.
In a span of 25 years, I purchased three homes. I went through the experience in my 20s, 30s, and 40s, under a variety of different life circumstances and housing markets.
Always remember to take your own personal situation into account and consult a trusted financial professional for specific advice. But here’s what I wish I had known about real estate at the very start.
I bought my first apartment in New York City in 2004, when I was 24. It was a small studio on the seventh floor of an Upper West Side condo, above a dive bar. It stretched my budget and I worried constantly about whether I had made the right call, but I thought that this would be my forever home
From 2009 to 2011, I rented another apartment while still holding onto the studio, which I ultimately sold in 2014.
