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Original poster

At what age did you buy your first home?

335 replies

GrapefruitGin · 31/07/2019 10:02

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!?

OP posts:
midsomermurderess · 31/07/2019 16:14
  1. My siblings and I sold the family,home. I got £50k and bought a small flat outright. Incredible, given property prices where I live and given that the part of the city I bought in is now overwhelmed with short-term holiday let's.
CraftyGin · 31/07/2019 16:15

23

Frith2013 · 31/07/2019 16:16
  1. 100% mortgage.
ohcanada · 31/07/2019 16:18

Still haven't - by choice! Mid 30s with kids and perfectly happy.

Frenchmom · 31/07/2019 16:31

30, with a 100% mortgage. That was 25 years ago! Just finished paying the mortgage! Yeah!

Dollywilde · 31/07/2019 16:33

27, in 2016, 2 bed flat in outer London. Inheritance from my deceased FIL* but we paid £10k outright.

  • I know this counts as 'help' in that we didn't save for it, but I always think there's a bit of a difference getting an outright gift from your living parents compared to the trade off of £25k but knowing you'd trade it to have your parent back.
Chillichutney1 · 31/07/2019 16:43

20, 2 bed in hackney, 5% deposit saved from my sandwich year in industry at uni

Aqueo517 · 31/07/2019 17:38

JoanMavisIcecreamGirl how on earth did you buy a house at 19 with no help at all? How much deposit did you put down? Seriously impressed!

I was 23, DH was 27. We had a £25k deposit from my parents.

raspberryk · 31/07/2019 17:39

Bought in 2010 for 125k just after the housing market crash, I was 23 exh was 27 we saved 10% deposit in 18 months before kids.

tisonlymeagain · 31/07/2019 17:41

22 with my then boyfriend (now ex-husband) Bought a 4 bed detached but he had a hefty amount of equity he put in (he was older). 16 years later we divorced and I made sure he kept what we his. Bought my first house completely on my own and it felt good!

Inniu · 31/07/2019 17:43

25 with now DH who was same age. No help. Just lived frugally and saved. While renting,

Different times 20 years ago.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 31/07/2019 17:48

Early twenties, self funded and definitely pre children. Wanted a stable base for them and children are a huge financial commitment.

bubblesforlife · 31/07/2019 17:52

Reserved at 26, moved in at 27, I’m now 29.
Bought with my soon to be DH.
No help from anyone, we’ve been saving since our early 20’s.

motortroll · 31/07/2019 17:53

22- deposit was from sale of boyfriends flat (he was 26 and working while I was at uni)

But then we split, he bought me out and I went back to uni. Bought next house at 27 with my husband. He has also split with an ex, neither of us had enough for a deposit so borrowed it from his dad. Effectively started again!

The most annoying thing is we bought a house down the road from my ex, exactly the same kind of house and paid £60 more for it 5 years later!! Had to live there for 14 years before we could afford our next move! Moved last month (both 41!!)

WhatsNextMrsLandingham · 31/07/2019 17:53

I'd just turned 18 when me and my ex boyfriend bought a house with a 90% mortgage as my mother gave me £5000 towards the deposit. Recently discovered that in the 19 years since I broke up with the ex, the house is worth 4x what it was sold for! Shock

2018SoFarSoGreat · 31/07/2019 17:58
  1. Had been living in home owned by DH's family, paying minimal rent, so had no need to and were quite content. When we did decide to buy, the jump to mortgage payment was 6 times our prior rent. Quite a shocker.

DH's parents offered to loan us the down payment to buy sooner, but it transpired that there were significant strings attached that we could not/would not stomach. We did it ourselves and have no regrets.

Babdoc · 31/07/2019 18:01
  1. We bought a 3 bed detached house in perfect condition, for twenty nine thousand pounds with a 95% mortgage, in 1983. Those were the days! Mind you, we were down to our last £30 in the bank when we moved in - it took all our savings for the fees and deposit. We couldn’t afford a tv or stair carpet for the first year or two!
HettyStThomas · 31/07/2019 18:05

32 whilst pregnant with DS2

Dowser · 31/07/2019 18:08

23
Still here 44 years later
Several extensions and complete overhaul and it beats no resemblance

Chasingsquirrels · 31/07/2019 18:12

22 (1995), pre-kids, with my then partner later spouse, my parents gave us £5k which amounted to about 11% and we had a similar amount in savings.

lumpybumpylooloo · 31/07/2019 18:17

I was 23 and bought with my fiancé, before we had any children. Our parents loaned us enough to put down a 5% deposit but we paid it back to them within 3 months.

lifesnotaspectatorsport · 31/07/2019 18:19

27 with DP (now DH) who was 29. We had a 95% mortgage, deposit came partly from savings but mostly from a 'car' loan from another bank. I don't think it's so easy to pull that trick these days - it was 2006. Have sold & bought 3 times since.

lifesnotaspectatorsport · 31/07/2019 18:20

Forgot to say, no kids and both of us had decent jobs.

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 31/07/2019 18:22

32, 3 bedroom end terrace. ⅓ of it was from damages for my broken leg, the rest was about the same as we were paying in rent for a fully serviced one bedroom flat. 5 years later, after the mid 90s crash and the descent of our neighbourhood into Scum Central, we made five pounds profit.

Pipandmum · 31/07/2019 18:26

26 with deposit from my parents back in the 80s. Flat was £80k (now they sell for £700k+). Sold it a couple years later for £105k and moved up the ladder.