At what age did you buy your first home?

[GrapefruitGin]

And did you buy a home before or after kids?
How much ‘help’ did you get or did you raise a deposit alone?
I’m 29, no dc and renting, curiously wondering if I’m one of many or am I unusual!?

25 DH was 34. We had no help at all and we had one infant aged child

We had been living in tied accommodation that was dirt cheap rent which helped with saving

It did feel at the time with all the mo e.g. you have to pay out like standing at the front door just chucking money away

Was 25 and DD was 9mths old. 100% mortgage. Couldn't have done it otherwise.

I was 22 and bought with my DH. No kids and we raised a 5% deposit ourselves. Neither set of DParents were in a position to help. This was in 2002.

24 but in France.

25. Bought a 2-bedroom flat in Zone 2 London, deposit was bank of Mum and Dad. Paid the mortgage by renting out the spare room.

Before kids, but DD lived there until she was 18 months old.

I was 21 and dh was 22 when we got a mortgage in 2004. We had no help with deposit although my parents paid the solicitors fees.

24y, with dh (same age) and before children. We moved in together after university in a rented place. Bought the new one about 15 maths later.

Was one of the low deposit type systems, back in the late 90s - think deposit was only about 5%. 3 bed detached house, new build, out of town but close enough to motorways for work - just under £60k.

22 when I made an offer, 23 at completion- bought when I was single. I had saved a fair chunk for solicitor/ stamp duty/furniture etc but also had about £10k gifted from family towards deposit. House was only £74k though with a mortgage of £60k (now worth in excess of £240k and rented out).

We were 35

DH and I bought our first house in 2017 with a deposit of 100k. We were 29. No help from anyone.

It's probably my proudest achievement.

I was 24, single and in my first year working for ICI as a graduate recruit (so they helped me with the legal expenses).

Bought it with no help from anyone - but iirc, it was a 90% mortgage with an insurance indemnity for the last 10%.

This was back in 1985 though and the mortgage rate was something like 11%

32 with dp. We had a 100% mortgage.

I was 25, no children at that point, we bought the house so we could get the dog though 😂 dp was 24 and we had been renting for a year, we raised the deposit ourselves and got a 85% and cashback on completion mortgage.

45. On my own. Grown up DC. Gifted deposit from family. May have taken a lot longer than I would have liked but better late than never. Should have it paid off by my retirement!

33, 5% deposit and help from my parents.

I used to beat myself up about not being able to buy in my 20s, until I discovered that everyone around me who claimed to have done it "without help" had actually been living rent free with their parents for years and years to be able to save.

I am 33 and now going through my first house purchase. I lived in a rented house with my mum until 5 years ago and I paid half the rent so couldn't save anything. For the five years I have been living with my partner who already owned his house (bought when you could get a 100% mortgage) and rather than paying half his mortgage I saved the money for when we wanted to buy together so it would be 'our' house. I have £25k saved which is enough for half the deposit and for some work we need to do on the house. Also have my first DC on the way...found out 9 days after our house offer was accepted!! so hopefully I will still have some money left for when I am not working. I put pressure on myself that I had to at some point own a house but it is not the be all and end all and I don't feel that if I was single I would have been able to afford it.

Age 29, with DH.

No DC then, no help from anyone, had 5% deposit.

27, pre kids, no financial help or inheritance but used the 5% deposit scheme and saved like mad.

I was 18 DH was 19, no kids and no help

It was 20 years ago when house prices were low but then so were our earnings in comparison. We paid about 1/3 of the value of our house as it stands now, but our combined take home pay was less than 1/5 of what it is now so it was a real struggle at times !

I'm just buying now. 27, pre-children. Saved my own half of deposit and fees (c.£25k) through some pretty aggressive saving strategies, buying with DP who has a similar amount through inheritance.

37, completion tomorrow. I've rented it for 10 years. Never expected to be able to buy in my neighbourhood! My landlady did me a good deal.

27

Deposit was mainly an inheritance from my grandma. Who die when I was 17. Thought buying was completely a non starter. But it's doable thanks to help to buy. I'm single with two cats!

21 with DH also 21, 6 months before we got married but didn't live together and still paid parents our keep.
10% deposit. No help.
Mortgage interest rate 15%.