20,000 is a lot less than you think it is and, honestly, owning a property is not required to thrive in the game. If you look through discord and probably older messages here you'll find tons of people asking how to sell their property (which is not implemented yet).
I've had people hang out for a couple of hours chatting and BSing around while we play a round or two of Pizza (them learning as we go) and, despite having 0 skills, came away with enough to buy a plot of land.