If you’re in your 20s and think homeownership is impossible, here’s how one 21-year-old made it happen with a zero-down program.

Are you around 20 years old and thinking a home of your own is completely out of reach?

I met a young man last week who’s only 21, and he was buying a condo. He didn’t have a stockpile of money. In fact, he was using the Washington State Bond Program, a zero-down program to help first-time homebuyers.

Let me tell you why I was so pleased for that young man.

But before that, did you know that the average homebuyer right now is between 38 and 40 years old, give or take?

I was genuinely excited for him, and here’s why: did you know that the average homebuyer today is around 38 to 40 years old?

In the 1960s, that number was in the early 20s. By the 1980s, the first-time homebuyer was in their late 20s. In the early 2000s, it was the early 30s, and so on. We have taken longer and longer to buy our first home—and that’s exactly why I was so excited for him.

The best way to make more money is by having more time.

In 1995, we bought a home for $120,000. It’s worth roughly $600,000 now, give or take.

Did we think it was a lot of money? Oh, yeah.

The danger in waiting is that you don’t have as much time for your equity to build.

“The danger in waiting is losing the years your equity could be growing”

According to Realtor.com, the average renter has about $10,000 net worth for everything they own: cars, personal items, and money in the bank. On the other hand, the average homeowner has about $430,000 of net worth. Where do you think all that money is? It’s not all in the bank. It’s in their house.

So if you’re looking for a way to make more money over time, homeownership is really the best way to go.

Back to my young man: he’s a smart guy and a hard worker. He works in HVAC and has been living at home, paying a pretty decent amount to his parents, more than most pay.

As soon as he was able, he called a real estate agent and asked, “What would it take for me to buy this?” Then he took a class. Next week, he gets the keys.

If this sounds like you and you’d really like to know, “What can I do to get into my own home, start building equity, and have something I can sell down the road to move into the next thing?” We’re teaching another online class this month.

It’s an evening class, and it is free.

New Homebuyers Online Class

When: March 18 & 19, 2026

You can even be smarter than the young man I met. He took the class after he had already signed the papers, was under contract, and had a closing date. You can start before you get that far and learn how to:

  • Choose your Realtor
  • Choose your lender
  • Choose your home

We’ll also talk about what it means to take care of a home and get ready for homeownership, all for free over a couple of evenings.

Click this link if you want to sign up.

If you’re in the greater Seattle area, send me a text, an email, or a DM, and let’s talk about how we can help you get started. Let’s see what we can do to get you into your first home and start on the path to homeownership, equity, and a much greater net worth.

We’re passionate about helping people build stability and wealth, one smart home decision at a time.

If this sounds like you or someone you know and love, please share this. Let’s get the word out and help people get into homes earlier so they can be better off in the long run.

If there’s anything else we can help you with regarding your real estate needs, whether it’s information on how to sell your home, how to get ready, or details about our area, please reach out: message, call, or text us at (425) 422-7372 or Sandy@SandyAndCompany.com. Let’s talk about how we can help.

Our motto is making lives better. How can we help you with yours?