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Original poster

At what age did you buy your forever home?

128 replies

ThedaBara · 13/02/2025 20:32

Just being nosy.
DH and i are still in our starter home, after 15 years. We're almost mortgage free, but with COVID and childcare costs, have no savings. Our youngest is about to start school, so that will free up some cash. We would probably need to borrow at least 150k to move into a home we could consider our forever home. I'm about to turn 40 and the thought of taking on a huge mortgage at this age is worrying. WWYD?

OP posts:
Youcancallmeirrelevant · 13/02/2025 22:31

29yo and it was our 3rd property

SereneCapybara · 13/02/2025 22:31

41 and DH 46.

About to sell to downsize as DC are grown up now. But it was a gorgeous house to raise a family in. Lots of very happy memories.

RaininSummer · 13/02/2025 22:33

I don't get the concept really. I have lived in my house around 36 years but will need to move for the last part of my life which may go on, if I stay healthy, for 15 plus years. I think few people stay in a home all their lives as their needs change. I would like to stay in my house but after a certain age it is daft to have an old, hard to maintain, too big and expensive place.

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General money
WookieMama · 13/02/2025 22:37

40 and 44

treesocks23 · 13/02/2025 22:38

doihaveacase · 13/02/2025 21:15

The idea of a forever home creeps me out. I like to move around! We're on our 3rd purchase with a massive mortgage at 44, it doesn't bother me at all. I think we'll do 5-6 years and then move again, then again when the kids fly the nest. At that point we'll downsize enough to be mortgage free. The dream would be two homes in different countries and split our time between them.

In your shoes I wouldn't hesitate to take out a £150k mortgage for a nicer house.

You sound similar to us. I'm nearly 42 and our house now is my favourite and plenty of space and close to family, lots of room for the late teens. But it's our 5th purchased home together. We enjoy moving around as well and once both kids have left home in a few years, I suspect we will move area and want something 'new'. Your dream of the split time sounds perfect x

EarlierDistraction · 13/02/2025 22:44

We bought this house (out first together) aged 34, on the basis of location and character, we could have got bigger for the same money locally by compromising on those. It's a 3 bed semi, it is tight for space but easy to maintain, we vaguely planned to upsize once we knew what secondary schools the DCs were going to but once that happened we realised we loved it here too much to move (the DCs didn't want to either), the mortgage was paid off around then and we've saved ourselves the bother and cost of upsizing and downsizing again. It's also meant I've never gone back to FT work which I'm very happy about as I love my job but it wouldn't warrant FT hours and I'd have to leave to get them. It has also meant we can invest well into our pensions.

crockofshite · 13/02/2025 22:45

We had no idea when we bought our house that we'd still be here 40 years later, with no plans to move.

At the time we didn't even think past getting the wiring and plumbing modernised.

How long is forever?

TeenLifeMum · 13/02/2025 22:48

3rd house and 35. I’m not sure I get the whole “forever” house thing as I see this as the right house for this stage.

SpanielsSunflowersSand · 13/02/2025 22:49

In a similar predicament but 10 years younger. Our house is more than big enough and in a lovely area but we would like some land in our next long term home. Being mortgage free allows us to travel more so it is a big decision!

Would you consider a shorter term mortgage? E.g. 10 years rather than the usual 20 years?

CorsicaDreaming · 13/02/2025 22:53

wipeywipe · 13/02/2025 20:46

We would probably need to borrow at least 150k to move into a home we could consider our forever home. I'm about to turn 40 and the thought of taking on a huge mortgage at this age is worrying.

I don't know anyone who would consider 150k a huge mortgage & your 40...

Yes I agree. I'd love to only have a mortgage of that size and I'm 50!

CarterBeatsTheDevil · 13/02/2025 22:55

PNDshame · 13/02/2025 21:47

39 for me, classing my current house as my forever home. May not be here forever however it's the home we could live in forever. Family complete, kids all in school, we won't outgrow this one or need to move for catchment areas so for those reason I deem it my forever home. I could live here until I choose to downsize in retirement

Exactly what I was going to say right down to the age at which we moved in!

LostittoBostik · 13/02/2025 22:58

We are mortgaged til DH is 70. You're not going to be an outlier in this day and age.

Do it now while you have a lot of years to reap the benefit. Housing costs are only going to increase.

LostittoBostik · 13/02/2025 22:59

ZenNudist · 13/02/2025 20:45

I bought my house at 28, paid it off at 34 and declined to move to a bigger house so I'm stuck with this. It's a 7 bed semi detached (was 4 bed but we converted the loft). It's big but not huge and not what I'd have dreamt of

I have 5 holidays booked for this year and planning a 6th to America in Oct so being mortgage free has its benefits.

I got it

HRHPRINCESSOFFLUFF · 13/02/2025 23:01

It all depends on what you consider to be a forever home? The one you stay in the longest, the one you die in? Every home can be a forever home until something changes or someone changes. Been in my home 25 years now. This is my second home since leaving home (my parents home). My next home, next year will be abroad.

Icanflyhigh · 13/02/2025 23:01

We're due to complete on ours next week. I am 46 and DH is 42 and we're both FTB.
It is our dream home, it ticks all our boxes and we are NEVER moving again!!

everychildmatters · 13/02/2025 23:02

44 and 49 and still bloody renting 😢 😭 😿 😢

longestlurkerever · 13/02/2025 23:03

I bought the house we live in now at 29 and have no particular plan to upgrade it (even though it's not fancy). When the kids leave home I'd prefer the flexibility to consider moving cities, or try living abroad for a bit, or on a canal boat or something, forever home sounds a bit stifling.

MariaMeringue · 13/02/2025 23:05

39

MuddyPawsIndoors · 13/02/2025 23:07

I bought this as a 'doer upper', did it up and forgot to move on.

This is my 30th year in this house 😳

Maboscelar · 13/02/2025 23:12

Well I haven't ruled out moving in future but we've been in our house since 2010 and are unlikely to move in the best future, so I guess I was 35.

moose17 · 13/02/2025 23:12

Brought our forever home 4 years ago both in our 40s unfortunate enough to be mortgage free.

isthatmyage · 13/02/2025 23:18

38 & 35, 23 years ago. Now mortgage free, 5 bed South Coast seafront and empty nesters....

Makemydaypunk · 13/02/2025 23:19

35, didn’t realise when we bought this house we would still be here 22 years later, we completely remodelled have extended the house twice, it’s 5 beds, 3 bathrooms, 4 receptions and are now mortgage free, in the next 10 years we will be looking for our ‘til death’ house, we don’t want a big family home anymore, I’ve spotted a lovely house on the riverfront which I have got my eye on, still a lovely sized house but smaller than what we have now and it’s 5 minutes from the town centre, it’s a fabulous location and the view is 😍 it will cost the same if not more than my current house so although downsizing we won’t be releasing any equity.

Wincher · 13/02/2025 23:25

We are hopefully about to buy ours, mid forties. Does mean taking on a new mortgage after a couple of years mortgage free, but we’re going for a 10 year term so not forever. Plus we carried on paying the same amount as our old mortgage into a savings account which is now pretty much exactly the same amount as the stamp duty.

Vaxtable · 14/02/2025 01:58

32, second property