One house’s journey from sold to saved

When Jailynn Dickerson thinks about her childhood, one place comes to mind: her grandma’s house.

Every holiday, every family gathering, every stretch when life got tough, it all happened there. For a few years, Jailynn and her mom even lived in the 900-square-foot home. 

• And no matter what changed in life, that house didn’t—Jailynn's grandmother, Susan Rilea, made sure of it. 
• She went all out for every occasion, cooking and baking enough to fill the house and then some.

That changed three years ago, when Susan could no longer keep up with the home’s maintenance and had to sell. Jailynn was crushed, but made herself a promise: one day, she’d get it back.

Jailynn got to work. For three years, the now-21-year-old juggled three jobs, often logging 70+ hour weeks between Dunkin’, Aldi, and a tattoo parlor.

Nearly every dollar went into savings, with the goal of one day bringing the house back into the family.

And then, one day, it happened. While scrolling through listings, her grandma’s old home popped up. Within two days, Jailynn had scheduled a tour, and just a couple weeks later, she was closing on it. 

• She even managed to pull off the entire process without her grandma catching on.
• The surprise came in a now-viral video, where Jailynn drove Susan past what she called her “new place,” only for the realization to slowly set in that it was actually her old home.

Jailynn plans to move in over the next few weeks, tackling fresh paint and small repairs before hosting her first big gathering: a Fourth of July BBQ, just like the ones she grew up with.

And this time around, her grandma will be right where she belongs.