Partners purchase a property

“I wanted to be closer to my sisters and I wanted him to come with me.”

Courtney’s reason for buying wasn’t just “investment.” It was personal.

Her family is in Virginia, and Richmond had long been one of her favorite places to spend time, close friends, a neighborhood she loved, and a real sense of connection. As her younger sisters grew up, she started feeling the weight of not being physically close for the everyday moments.

So she imagined a life where she could be part time in Austin and part time in Virginia, and at the time, both she and her partner had remote jobs. Richmond felt like the bridge between the life she had and the life she wanted.

Why buying together felt like the right move

Courtney and Bob approached the purchase like a shared project, and in many ways, it brought out their best teamwork.

They were both tech forward and organized: they built systems, had weekly money meetings, and treated the home like a real collaboration with clear check ins. Courtney even described the homebuying and ownership process as some of the best collaboration they had in their relationship.

They also didn’t avoid the hard topics. They talked early about “what if we break up?” and even discussed the possibility of staying business partners if the relationship ended.

Challenges

What shared ownership was like (the part that surprised her) 

Even with agreements and weekly “money meetings,” Courtney said shared ownership felt lonelier than she expected with Bob, especially because they had agreed it would primarily be her project.

That’s a detail people don’t always anticipate: co-owning isn’t only about the money. It’s the mental load. Decisions. Managing tenants. Tracking numbers. Holding the full picture.

When one person is carrying more of that invisible work, it can start to feel uneven, even if the partnership is “fair” on paper.

When things changed

The relationship ended.

The house part was, thankfully, relatively calm. Courtney and Bob gave themselves space, didn’t rush into immediate decisions, and had a long-term tenant in place, which created some breathing room.

But as time went on, it became clear that they weren’t moving at the same pace. Bob was ready to sell and move on, while Courtney wanted time — time to explore options, run the numbers, and see if keeping the house was still possible.

Courtney worked hard to make that happen. She explored several buyout paths: her realtor, a neighbor, people from her real estate network, and other potential partners who showed genuine interest. The interest was there, but without a formal agreement outlining timelines or exit terms, there simply wasn’t enough runway to find the right person and move forward confidently.

With more structure in place, Courtney may have had additional time and clearer options. An operating agreement could have created defined windows for buyouts, expectations around early exits, and space to evaluate alternatives without pressure.

Instead, the decision had to be made more quickly than she would have preferred.

property alone. So they put the house on the market.

The most hopeful part of this story: what she learned

Courtney doesn’t see this experience as a failure, she sees it as a crash course in co-ownership.

She learned what she wants in a future partner, how important it is to define exit paths, and how much smoother the “what now?” moments can be when structure is in place.

When asked, she said she would absolutely co-buy again but next time, she’d want:

an operating agreement no matter what
clearer guardrails around early exits
support around decision-making (especially “keep vs sell”)
a neutral system that reduces the need to “trust someone else’s math”

Would a platform like Joynt have helped?

When we asked Courtney that directly, her answer was yes, especially in two key areas:

1) Structure before things get emotional

Courtney shared that she and her partner talked about creating an LLC, but they “got lazy” and didn’t follow through. She thinks having a guided process (and prompts that make you talk through real scenarios) would have helped them formalize the protections earlier, not because there wasn’t trust, but because clarity makes everything easier when life changes.

2) Seeing options clearly when you’re deciding what to do next

One of Courtney’s biggest reflections was that she wished she’d had a trusted, neutral expert (or tool) to help her understand the “keep it” option. She didn’t feel confident solo managing the property long term, and she believes clearer support around the numbers, risks, and scenarios could have changed how she decided.

And perhaps the most relatable insight: she didn’t want the process to feel like two people debating spreadsheets and assumptions. She wanted something dependable in the middle, a system that holds the details so the humans can focus on making the decision.

A co-buying story that didn’t end how she pictured and still felt worth it.

At a Glance

Challenges

What was Learned

What Courtney would tell someone considering co-buying

Buying with Friends Newsletter GLOBAL

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Joynt?

Getting started

Exploring Co-Ownership

Onboarding Your Property

Managing a Co-Owned Property