Chinese-American immigrant reveals how she bought first home at AGE 10 after watching daytime TV

An migrant from China who bought her first location astatine property 10 has elaborate really she became a successful financial analyst.

Amy Hu Sunderland, 43, arrived successful nan US 34 years agone - not knowing a connection of English pinch conscionable nan apparel connected her back.

Today, she is among nan apical 10 female finance managers successful nan country, and lives successful Utah pinch her hubby Seth, she told Deseret News this month.

Posing for a photograph from a sauna overlooking her location successful a desirable suburb of Salt Lake City, she described how she's grown her existent property investments complete nan years, and is now surviving what she sees arsenic nan American Dream.

This comes aft she grew up poor, pinch ungraded floors, nary energy and nary moving h2o successful Hunan province, she said - a manner she escaped aft emigrating astatine property 9 to spell unrecorded pinch her father, who had made his measurement to nan US conscionable months before.

'I didn't cognize what liking complaint was,' she told nan newspaper of her mindset astatine nan time, past a young woman caller disconnected a level astatine nan Salt Lake Airport.

'Thank goodness, because it was 12 percent,' nan mom-of-four added of nan location she and father Yijiang 'John' Hu came crossed arsenic they struggled to make ends meet, paying $200 successful rent a period for a mini flat successful Salt Lake City.

That said, it was her, not her father, who recovered nan listing, while watching nan daytime soap operas that taught her English, nan portfolio head astatine finance patient Grandeur Peak Global Advisors said.

It appeared connected an advertisement that ran betwixt nan day's installments if 'General Hospital' and 'All My Children', and featured a past celebrated section fig known arsenic Dan nan Realtor, 

The TV agent was showing disconnected a location he said was disposable for $200 a period - $50 little than nan caller rent their landlord had conscionable put successful place.

Eager to thief her begetter who had moving 3 jobs, Sunderland called nan 800 number that had been flashing connected nan screen.

On nan different extremity she was met pinch Dan, who listened to her telephone contempt her age, she recalled.

'I saw your commercial. I want that location connected TV,' she reportedly told him.

'I don't person that house,' he answered back. 'But I tin get you a house. When tin I talk to your parents?'

The remainder fell into spot alternatively quickly, with the realtor going connected to meet Sunderland and her dada earlier quickly realizing who had been nan plan's mastermind.

Taking control, Sunderland - only a twelvemonth into learning English - explained to him really she wanted a guarantee the payments would ne'er transcend $200. 

Dan vowed that he had been telling nan truth, and added really nan begetter and girl would ain nan location outright successful 30 years.

Then delivering nan Salt Lake Tribune each greeting to bolster her father's take-home arsenic a dishwasher, busboy, and nutrient handler,  she managed to scrounge together a down payment.

Within weeks, nan dishwasher and 4th grader had go nan proud owners of a location successful downtown Salt Lake City, for which they had paid conscionable $22,000.

But it still took years for occurrence to travel to nan family, aft Mao's taste gyration forced them to prosecute a amended life successful nan US.

But things did get amended - pinch Sunderland yet returning to China to attraction for her ailing mother who stayed behind.

She was capable to bring her to Utah, earlier yet utilizing nan equity she gained from that first location acquisition to salary backmost family and friends who had laid retired money to thief her and her mom.

Soon, she had capable money to spell to college, and graduated magna cum laude from nan Eccles School of Business astatine nan University of Utah.

There, she did truthful good academically that she was hired by Goldman Sachs earlier she moreover graduated, wherever she met her husband, a chap financial analyst.

The 2 soon began to commencement a family, and soon, acknowledgment to a operation of nan first property, waitressing, moving astatine TCBY Yogurt and Goldman Sachs, she was capable to salary disconnected each of nan family debts.

Today, her real-estate holdings now full dozens of residential units and a fewer commercialized properties each successful Salt Lake City.  

But contempt each these accomplishments, on pinch her occurrence arsenic an equities analyst, Sunderland still downplays her success.

'I deliberation I'm conscionable immoderate colony woman trying to fig retired what's going on,' she told nan Tribune during a floor plan portion they did connected her successful 2013.

'We ne'er had TV, we'd ne'er seen cars, we ne'er had faucets. 

'At that time, I was very huffy astatine my parents for taking maine distant from each nan things I knew,' she added. 'It was rather a transition.'

She went connected to picture really that first acquisition made it each possible.

'We benignant of sewage fortunate because our location that we bought for $20,000 had appreciated to astir $100,000,' she said.

'We took retired immoderate of nan equity and conscionable started buying rentals,' she said, recalling nan request to salary each those who had been helping her and her family back."

'Your situation pushes who you are,' nan successful advisor concluded. 'My parents are very frugal and I inherited that, too, arsenic I don't for illustration to walk and discarded money.'