At what age did you buy your first house/property?

[floatinglilly10]

Just that really....

I am hoping to buy a property this year with my DP, we have found it difficult and I have been trying not to compare myself with other friends who purchased their house in their early 20's! I am very proud of what we have achieved so far and I know that it is not always an attainable or in fact desired goal for everyone.

I am 30 and my DP is 25

I guess this is just a nosey thread, please do not answer if you do not feel comfortable doing so!

27, last week with husband. We had saved enough money for deposit a few times but had a few emergencies along the way. 5% deposit, half saved money, half inheritance. 3 bed terrace with large garden.

18 with my (then) fiancé. 1987, just before recession so we quickly went into negative equity.
We hung on, moved in 1991 with no profit then divorced in 1992 and split about £20k equity between us.
Bought my own place, solo, in 1992. Worked 2 jobs to keep my head above water. Have moved several times since and remarried. Now have about 15 years left on mortgage.
So will have been paying a mortgage for about 46 years in total.

26, but it was many, many years ago.

The house cost £11,000!

Ginorchoc - that’s lovely

First flat I bought the previous owner - very nice chap - left me a half bottle of fizz in the fireplace with a note saying “hope you’ll be as happy here as I was”.

I had my mum’s old knackered sofa (springs gone etc), a mattress my Granddad has died in and very little other furniture! Ate beans on toast for a year etc. As you say, no freecycle or Internet in those days and Ikea miles away.

23, now been here 10 years. We are just about to sell and move to a bit of a bigger place which we plan on living in 20 years or so.

I am surprised at how many posters were in their 20’s when they first bought . I was 35 , wish we’d done it earlier.

I’m almost 26 and have nothing in savings at all, no chance of a mortgage in the next few years.

19 when offer accepted; 20 at completion.

33, and wouldn't have been able to then either, had it not been for an inheritance, which boosted out deposit to the extent we only needed a 70% mortgage.

We bought a house that was marketed as "perfect for first time buyers", and are probably now contributing towards the stagnating housing market, since we have no intention to climb the housing ladder.

Most of my old friends bought in their early 20s, but they mostly weren't in the UK, so I wasn't really comparing myself to them. Most of my friends and IL family in the UK don't own their homes, regardless of age.

21 - mind you I’m now 31 and renting again after the collapse of my first marriage, so it’s no real indication of anything..

We bought our first home in March. Im 26, dh is 32. Kids are 5 and 1. its hard to save enough with young kids!

I’m interested in the difference in saving now vs 25 years ago. I do realise it’s £££k more deposit required now which is out of many’s reach.

There wasn’t so much disposable stuff around cheaply 25 years ago which meant we went without a lot of stuff. When I was saving I didn’t buy sandwiches etc for lunch or coffees, ever. Most people didn’t those days, though. Also clothes, furniture etc were a lot more expensive so there wasn’t the temptation to “just spend a few quid” on things.

Not sure what my question is here tbh! Just pondering the differences between now and then.

Just put in an offer and had it accepted. Currently applying for mortgage. So all things being well, we will move in around 6-8w. I'll be 33.

I had a 5 percent deposit £2000 on my £40K purchase which didn't take that long to save, now you need a lot more than that I feel sorry for youngsters saving for their first home especially in expensive areas.

I was 23 but it was 1992! It was a two bed mid townhouse in a massive housing estate. Bought for £40k with a 95% mortgage. I had saved up just over £5k for deposit, stamp duty, solicitors, furniture etc but still had to beg and borrow stuff. Bought bed, washing machine, fridge freezer new. Borrowed sofa, had dining table and chairs and dressing table from great great aunts house after she passed away, curtains and carpets were already in (and hideous but I never did replace them!) . Sold at a loss two years later when prices were falling and I got married.

18 with DP at the time. We split up a few years later. I was 22 and on 6 monthly part time contracts and yet got a mortgage ! A few months after that I got a full time permanent contract with a local authority and felt like I was loaded! Well, to be fair I was compared to my peers at the time!

Also bought pots and pans, crockery etc from Argos. And a small cheap TV from Currys. I had no desire for top of the range stuff - had spent most of the previous 4 years since starting work saving up for this but wasn't one for going out lots and had camping holidays with family every year.

Two years ago, so I was 34, partner was 33. We'd been renting for 10 years. We could/should have bought earlier, but it seemed impossible to save enough at first (credit crunch, low wages and no affordable mortgages), and we were kicked out of two rented places after a year which really screwed up our savings.

I also decided to prioritise learning to drive first, which took all my disposable income for two years, and as our salaries rose we had some lovely holidays around Europe meaning we feel like we've done some travelling and are happy to settle down.

We saved hard for four years to get our 12% deposit + money for fees etc, as I was convinced the housing market would crash and wanted to buy a sensible family three bed and put as much in we could afford (South-East nearish London).

18 as a joint venture with my dad. He paid the deposit and I lived there Doesn't really count.

23 when I bought my own house with DP. 33% deposit and it is our Forever Home.

27 & 30 in 1999. 3 bed house costing £98k in Berkshire after renting in Surrey for the previous 2 years. Remember there were loads of gazumping going on and feeling priced out of Surrey because we wanted a house rather than a flat!

22 with my fiance who was 21 in 1978. He worked in a bank but we couldn't have a reduced rate bank mortgage because he wasn't old enough. We had to pay the standard interest rate at the time, an eye watering 15.25 %

DP and I bought aged 35 because that’s when the older generation started dying and leaving us money. Without inheritance we couldn’t have bought a house at all. And neither of us could have bought on our own.

Looking through the replies and I’m interested to note that people who bought 20 years ago were in their 20s, while those who bought more recently seem to be (like me) in their 30s and reliant on inheritance.

I'm nearly 37 and don't know anyone who bought before their 30s. Nearly everyone I know had parental help or inheritance when they did buy. We're all fairly comfortable in terms of income - managers, teachers of 10+ years, architects, police etc.