I’ve always wanted to be a homeowner. I know there’s a lot of debate around whether buying a house is a smart financial decision or not…but buying a house is more than just a financial decision. It’s an emotional one.

For me, buying a house means more than owning an appreciating asset. It means:

• Having a yard for my dog, Beau
• Being able to paint, renovate, and live in a space that really feels like me
• More stability and predictability in my cost of living
• More options on the market when you’re not limited to renting

My house hunting journey started almost two years ago. At the time, I was living in the city (Calgary) and had no intentions of moving. I had just turned 30, and the options in my price range were honestly dismal. This feeling changed my perspective and I began to toy with the idea of moving to a small town where prices were way more affordable. I could buy a tiny condo downtown, or a full two-storey house with a yard and a garage for the same price outside of the city.

I decided moving to a small town made sense for the next chapter of my life. My partner and I are planning to have kids, we have a dog, and we liked the idea of being closer to my family who also live in rural Alberta.

It also helps that I work from home. As an entrepreneur, I built a business that I can run from anywhere. So I thought, why not a small town? I may have also been romanticizing the idea after living in the city bustle for a decade. A slower pace of life was appealing.

Without knowing how to begin my journey, I spent every night online looking at house listings. I didn’t even know how much I could afford at that point, and heard that it was harder to get approved for a mortgage as someone who is self-employed. But I was determined to do this on my own, no help from parents or a co-signer.

Some things that help if you’re self-employed:

• Have a strong credit score. Prioritize paying your bills and credit cards on time every month, even if it’s just the minimum payments.
• Pay yourself as an employee of your business. Since I have paid myself a salary for years, I had a solid salary history that wasn’t reliant on business profits or dividends which are more “risky” sources of income.
• Aim to save at least 10-20% for a downpayment, instead of the minimum 5%.

When I finally started to feel “ready” I was put in touch with a great local realtor who took me to showings, and asked me a ton of questions at each one. Every time I walked through a house, I imagined myself living there. In the beginning I found it really hard to know what to look for or what questions to ask, so I brought my dad who has bought properties before. I think having someone you trust with you who has gone through the process before is super helpful. There were so many things I learned to look out for, rather than just being excited by the idea of a house.

The mortgage pre-approval process was very intimidating at first. Once I learned what documents were required (T4s, tax assessments, bank statements) I took an hour to compile everything into a folder on my computer and did it in one go. It was one of those things I had built up in my mind, but wasn’t as scary as I thought. Of course there were a lot of follow up questions, especially as a business owner. But once the process is started, it’s pretty seamless.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that home ownership is completely inaccessible and unrealistic for young people. And while it was a lot of work to save for years and prepare myself for this, there are other factors to consider. In big cities, home ownership seems out of reach, but in smaller towns it’s more affordable. It’s a lifestyle trade off (some would say upgrade!), but moving to rural Alberta made owning my dream starter home a reality.

I’ve been in my house for a month now and have zero regrets about moving to a small town! Only excitement to continue this new chapter.