My husband and I bought our first home together. A year later, our friend moved in.

In May 2022, my husband, Daniel, and I reached a major milestone on our quest toward the American dream: buying our first home in Western Washington. The one-story home is just under 1,300 square feet and has four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

For almost a year, we enjoyed the freedom of finally owning a place that was all ours. We didn’t have to deal with noisy apartment neighbors or worry that we were being too loud. We spent quality time together with at-home dinner dates and TV-binge-watching sessions.

But it wasn’t long before Daniel and I ventured off the stereotypical homeownership path and asked our friend, Chelsea, to move into one of…