Courtesy of Dom Guerra.
- Dom Guerra, 27, was renting an apartment in a duplex near Cleveland while trying to buy a home.
- After other deals fell through, he ended up buying the duplex from his landlord in 2024.
- He is now a first-time homeowner and landlord, but he doesn't plan to raise his neighbor's rent.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dom Guerra, a 27-year-old IT specialist and veteran in Parma, Ohio, a small city south of Cleveland, and his experience buying the duplex where he was previously a renter. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.
About four years ago, when my landlord bought the property, I was his very first tenant. I was renting it with my daughter and my girlfriend.