Debt Sucks. Taking out a credit card cash advance to pay your rent is not cool. Having to use an Amex card you can’t pay off just to buy groceries because you have no money is also not a great feeling. In fact, talking about debt is so difficult that many people with debt feel isolated and embarrassed.

A Pew Research study showed that women make up about ⅓ of the growth in real estate ownership since 1994. So what is it that’s encouraging these single women, who are now buying one out of every five homes that are sold, to make the leap into homeownership.

The road to becoming a homeowner for many Millennials can sometimes seem impossible. Juggling exorbitantly high rents with the burden of student loans makes saving up for a down payment much harder now than it was in the past. Yet, despite these challenges, many people are able to navigate the barriers and find their way into becoming homeowners. In fact, a Bloomberg report shows that people aged 18 to 34 have become the largest group of homebuyers in the U.S.

We found some Millennials who managed to become homeowners and asked them how they did it.

We have all been drilled endlessly about the importance of a good credit score. Your credit score can determine everything from the type of car you can buy to which types of homes you will have a loan approved for. Some employers even go so far as to run a credit report before extending an offer to a potential hire.

Shopping for your home can be one of the most exciting aspects of becoming a homeowner. However, there are many factors to consider before seriously committing to “the one.”