[REAL STORIES] They Bought a Lake House Instead of an NYC Apartment and Paid it Off in 15 Years

Nearly two decades ago, today’s guests were a young couple living in Jersey City, dreaming of buying a home in Manhattan. But instead of stretching their budget to buy in the city, they decided to buy a lake house in the Poconos. In just 15 years, they used income from short-term renters to pay it off entirely—and now, they’re using the equity they built to construct their dream vacation home just down the road. This Week’s Guests: David Bigler and Jillian O’Neill are a married couple who bought their second home first almost two decades ago. They were living in Jersey City at the time, dreaming of moving into Manhattan, when they decided to do something different and buy a lakehouse in the Poconos instead.  Tune in to Learn: –The difference between good debt and and bad debt –Why Dave and Jill started out as "First Dibbers" but now consider themselves "Profit Maximizers" (Take the Quiz to find out what type of vacation home owner you would be: https://www.buyyoursecondhomefirst.com/freebies#quiz) –How they paid off their lake house in full in 15 years, using income earned from short-term renters –Why building genuine relationships with neighbors is essential Key links: –Second Home First Academy: BuyYourSecondHomeFirst.com/academy *Use code PODCAST for 40% off –Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter: BuyYourSecondHomeFirst.com/#subscribe  –Visit the website: BuyYourSecondHomeFirst.com –Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @BuyYourSecondHomeFirst –Find us on Substack: SecondHomeFirst.Substack.com  –Say Hi! Hello@BuyYourSecondHomeFirst.com (mailto:Hello@BuyYourSecondHomeFirst.com)  A Special Thank You To Our Sponsors: Lodgify: https://lodgify.com/?afmc=28y For a limited time, click the link and enter code SHF-60 for 60% off their Professional and Ultimate plans. *Offer good September 21-30, 2026 Somerled: https://form.jotform.com/252193985491065?howDid=Referral&typeA19=Second%20Home%20First  Use the link provided to schedule your free consultation call. Listeners of SHF also get $1,000 off virtual design & $3,000 off design & project management services. Turno: https://go.turno.com/second_home_first  Use the link provided to get $25 off your first clean. Flytographer: https://www.Flytographer.com/SHF   Use code SHF25 for $25 off your first shoot PriceLabs: https://hello.pricelabs.co/signup/?referral=secondhomefirst  Use code SecondHomeFirst (all one word) for a 30-day free trial, plus $10 off your first invoice