I’m 30 and bought my first home for $375,000 this year. I have a partner but wanted to buy it on my own.

In February, Ayriel Von Schert purchased a townhouse in Mesa, Arizona.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ayriel Von Schert, a 30-year-old real-estate agent who purchased a home without a cosigner or spouse.

According to new data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), single female buyers significantly outnumbered single male buyers between July 2023 and June 2024, accounting for 20% of all homebuyers. Single men made up just 8% of all homebuyers.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Before I became a real-estate agent, I thought buying a home was almost impossible, especially as a millennial.

Though I’ve been paying down my student loan debt, I still owe about $10,000. I also thought home prices were too expensive, and I didn’t know if I had enough for a down payment.

Still, I knew I wanted to build equity and create long-term wealth, and homeownership is one of the best ways to achieve that. On average, you can gain at least 3% equity each year just by owning a home. Year after year, you’re building value, whereas renting doesn’t contribute to your wealth at all.

This year, I bought my first home in Mesa, Arizona — about 15 minutes outside Phoenix — alone.

Recently, I’ve helped a couple of other single women buy their own homes. I guess it’s becoming more of a trend.

I think a lot of women think similarly to me: ‘Why wait for someone else to help you achieve your goals?’

You don’t need a partner to buy a home

Though I have a longtime boyfriend, we’re not married, and buying a house with someone I wasn’t married to felt a bit scary. I was in a financial position to buy my own home, and I didn’t want to wait.

I also knew I didn’t need anyone else’s help to make it happen.

My salary ranges between $50,000 and $80,000 each year.

I was also saving up as much as I could for a home purchase. On top of my hourly pay, if I received a good commission check — like, if I earned $3,000 from a sale — I would put that straight into savings.

Co-signing with a partner can open up more homebuying options, like affording a bigger house or more properties based on your combined income. However, there are risks — if your partner has a lower credit score, it can hurt you.

I also don’t think it’s a good idea to commit to anything permanent with someone you’re not in a permanent relationship with. It’s better to have things in your own name, just for the sake of security.

Higher mortgage rates didn’t stop me from buying a home

In February, I moved out of the home I was renting with my boyfriend and another roommate.

I purchased my 2,280-square-foot townhouse for $365,000. When I first bought it, it had three bedrooms, three and a half baths, and two living room areas. My boyfriend and I converted the downstairs living room into a bedroom, so now it’s a four-bedroom, three and a half-bath home.

I was originally going to use an FHA loan to buy my home, but at the time, the conventional loan had a better rate, and I only had to put down 3% for a conventional loan.

I ended up with a 6.125% interest rate. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not great. As soon as rates drop, I’ll refinance.

I may be paying a higher rate now — maybe for a year or two — but in the grand scheme of a 30-year mortgage, it’s nothing compared to paying $10,000 or more over the asking price.

It might sound crazy with interest rates high, but right now is one of the best times to buy a home in the Phoenix area. I got great value for the house since the real-estate market here isn’t really competitive right now.

I negotiated with the seller to cover the closing costs and make repairs to the home. They also provided a $3,000 credit for repairs and installed a brand-new AC unit.

Also, by representing myself in the home sale, I applied the $10,950 the seller paid me in commission directly toward my down payment and closing costs. It felt like getting a bit of a “discount” since I was handling everything myself.

Mesa, Arizona, located 19 miles east of Phoenix, has a median home value of $437,088 as of October, according to Zillow. 

With the Homeowners Association, or HOA, fee, home insurance, and mortgage combined, I pay about $2,800 each month for my home.

The HOA fee is a bit high because it’s a townhouse community. We pay about $330 a month, which covers everything — like exterior maintenance — except for trash service.

I’m not worried about managing bills for the home because my boyfriend lives with me, and we split the costs, including the mortgage.

I don’t think he minds, because we no longer have a landlord telling us what we can or can’t do.

If the expenses ever become too much for us, I have multiple rooms and could always bring in a roommate.

I’m building equity and long-term wealth

I don’t plan to live in a townhouse forever, but for now, it was a great deal in an area I wanted to be in.

I bought my home in February, and another unit in my complex is already for sale at $410,000. If it sells for that price, my home will have appreciated by about $35,000 in one year.

In a few years, I might sell this place, or I could keep it and rent it out while buying another property.

My long-term goal is to build up a real-estate portfolio and earn residual income, and I feel like I’m definitely on a path toward that.

As a real-estate agent, I’ve learned that many people initially fear buying a home — until they work in the industry or gain a better understanding of how it all works.

I always encourage people who are thinking of buying a home to talk to a lender. A lender will break everything down for you, create a game plan, and tell you exactly what you need to do to make buying a home possible, whether by yourself or with a partner.

Going through the same process myself has helped me better relate to my first-time buyer clients.

Now I can honestly say, “I’ve been there, too.” I promise it all works out once you’re on the other side.