What is it like to buy my first home?

I started off fresh out of graduate school with a job offer that was nothing out of the ordinary. Frankly it was decent for the times.

All my life, I had an upbringing sheltered in condominium and apartment walls. It was fundamentally ingrained in me that my first property investment had to be the detached Home Sweet Home. It was a no-brainer that my search was limited to detached properties in Oakville suburb of Toronto in 2010 - close to work and one of the nicest cities to live.

Everyday I saw houses getting sold off MLS at the speed of light - it was that kind of market. Most buyers were at a point where it was draining them alive and I was about to give up,. Then an email popped up in my inbox, subject - New MLS Listing. As I quickly glanced through, I couldn't help but notice a property that was previously sold, that I thought I had no luck with, listed again. It felt surreal, a message from the supernatural - it was destined for me.

Due process followed and little did I know, after few months, I was looking to took possession of my dream first home.

Was I ever scared to buy my property at age 21 with a starting engineering salary? Yes, however, It was certainly part of my overall plan, so there was nothing stopping me. I thought I would give it a shot and if I ever felt I stretched the string too thin, I figured renting out the basement could be an option.

If I didn't do it now, I had a gut feeling that it would only be harder at later stages of my life. Did I know that I would be accumulating multiple properties later? Probably not. I felt lucky enough to own a single home let along multiples.

Regarding mortgage payments, when you are in your twenties, your mind wanders as to where you can throw the money into, usually into burning cash. All my peers talked of vacations, backpacking, cars, concert tickets et cetera. For me, it was all about disciplining myself into prudent financial management, into converting my earnings to tangible future investments forcefully.

Its been nine solid years since, and today when I look back, I wouldn't do anything different about my first home purchase.