You zig when others zag. You like your life like your breakfast: quirky, colorful, and occasionally served at 7 p.m. Pancakes for dinner, farmer’s market flowers, and a playlist that jumps from Fleetwood Mac to Kendrick Lamar. You’ve never followed the crowd, so while everyone was panic-buying at 3% interest rates during COVID, you watched from the sidelines, sipping oat milk lattes and waiting for your moment. Well, it’s here. Your landlord’s raising the rent (again), and suddenly it clicks: it’s time to plant roots and water your own garden. You don’t need a five-bedroom McMansion. You need cozy. Sunny. Happy. A backyard for digging and a pool for floating. One night, mid-scroll under the covers, your BFF texts:?“OMG. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS ONE??” (link to @domoRealty IG feed)?“You NEED to buy it so I can come swim.” You squint.?“But it only has one bathroom??”?Exactly. One toilet to clean. You laugh. But now you’re not sleeping. Next morning, you pull up. It’s got that look. That “I’ve been here since 1959 and still look good in photos” energy. Vaulted ceilings. Fresh paint. The place smells like new beginnings. It feels like home. There’s even room for the cats, and that friend who always “accidentally” passes out on the couch so she doesn’t have to drive home. You peek at the price.?$395K. No typo. No time machine. You crunch the numbers. 10% down, plus taxes and insurance? It’s basically your new rent… except now you’d own. You’d be blocks from Buford Highway’s best bites, minutes to I-85 and I-285, and most importantly, your monthly payment is going towards your own future instead of your landlord’s next beach house. The details in the listing make it all that much better: A new (bigger) HVAC. All old cast iron plumbing replaced, good as new. An encapsulated crawlspace by AquaGaurd (The Rolls Royce of under-the-house luxury) and of course fast access to anywhere in Atlanta with zero drama. Thirty days later, you’re poolside. Margarita in hand. Fajitas sizzling. Your BFF floating nearby in a giant flamingo. Fluffy running free in your fenced backyard. This is home. And yeah, adulting looks damn good on you.