oh, and just in case you didn't build the store/garage on 6-1, and it's difficult for you to...
i first built a 4,000 house.
then i built an 8,000 house.
then i built the garage.
i upgraded the 8,000 house.
i never gifted anybody - i just restocked the houses for new tenants.
i bought a plot of land for a store, but NOT for a house.
when i reached my goal of 35,000, i built the store.
then i demolished the 4,000 house, and built the 23,000 house in the same plot of land. that way, i didn't have to spend an extra 1,000 to buy a plot of land.
goal!