At what age did you opt to buy your first property?

lessonlearned

I came from a background where buying your house was not the norm, hence the "looking askance";)

Working class council house background me. I was the first member of my family to buy their own property.

I didn't have a particularly spectacular job either - estate agent minion at the time. Very low paid.

In fact because both mortgage interest rates shot up and inflation was rampant at the time I had to leave the EA's office and get a better paid job to pay my mortgage.

And yes it was not long after the Equality For Women acts when it became illegal to discriminate against women in financial matters, ie loans and mortgages etc.

Derbyshire folk were a conservative lot in those days - a young woman of 25 buying her own property was very rare in this neck of the woods.

A lot of my work colleagues found it incomprehensible and a few even dared to suggest that I must have had a "Sugar Daddy" lurking in the background. :rotfl::rotfl:

Cheeky beggars.

I cannot tell a lie, it was very tough going at first. It took every penny I had and then some. That credit card took a bashing.
I eventually had to part with my beloved clapped out mini just to keep going.

The house was a "fixer upper". The downstairs was uninhabitable due to damp and I had to live in one room - my bedroom for 3 months.

Happy Days!!!

Beckyy

18. I wanted to buy as soon as we had the opportunity. It was hard work but I am so glad we didn't rent and wait and would do it all over again.

melb

It was 1982 for me. I was 20 and had only been working 3 months after further education when parents moved down South (with whom I was living) so had to make choice of move with them or remain in the job. Chose the latter. had had a savings account for 4 years with Halifax so managed a 90% mortgage over 15 years which was all they would offer on a back-to-back house although it's still standing and looking well now. Borrowed £1000 off parents for deposit and paid off at £30 per month (they didn't charge me interest thankfully!). Got an endowment mortgage and got a nice payment of £5000 bonus on a £9000 mortgage when it matured 15 years later. By then I had sold and moved into my boyfriend's house while we looked for one to buy together so I put my money into savings which was just when the 15% interest rates had started. I was very lucky indeed and wouldn't fancy having to start again now.

moneyistooshorttomention

Ah right...Lessonlearned - I didn't understand what you meant by "looking askance" as everyone I knew owned their own house or "knew" they expected to do so automatically (though my parents are prone to calling themselves "working class" these days and my father had a "working class" background).

Swings and roundabouts time - frustration at being made to wait for your "rightful home you are supposed to own" or frustration at people "looking askance" personally. Either way - a frustrating situation to be in. Must admit I'm quite bolshy enough to go straight ahead and do whatever I've decided too even if it's not the norm - so good for you for going for it anyway.

Gloomendoom

My grandfather was over 80 when he bought his first house. Mind you, he had been living in it since 1929 as a council tenant.

HungryKitty

I was 19 when I bought my house back in 2002. It was my parents suggestion when my landlord decided to sell the house I was in and it was definitely a good decision.

Buying young does give the disadvantage of inexperience when picking a property - things that didn't bother me at 19 definitely bother me now! (Moving soon though :j)

phoebe1989seb

DH and I were 24 and had loads of help from my parents (with deposit and survey costs etc on our one bed flat on the South Coast) as I wasn't earning much - had my own shop for a while but made very little money and what I did make was ploughed back into the business - and DH was on a low paid designer's salary......

We definitely would have had to wait much longer if it wasn't for their input as it would have taken forever to save a deposit. We eventually paid them back when DH's salary increased

DS has also been extremely fortunate - my uncle passed away whilst DS was at uni, leaving him two thirds of his estate. After graduating and getting work in the city, DS pooled resources with his GF (who was given some cash from the sale of a buy-to-let by her mum) and they were able to buy a very nice flat mortgage-free in South London at 22 :j