Your first time buying

mouche

First house bought two years ago - we were 32 and 36, married 5 years with first child on the way. We'd been saving for a deposit since we got married and had just over 20% by then. It's a 4 bed semi in the suburbs of a major town - not the best area but not the worst either. It could use some work but is perfectly functional as it is. Dream house? I'd say 90% there - I'd like it to be in a slightly better area in terms of schools and transport links and I'd like to do some work on it - but the available facilities are adequate so I'm happy. And it certainly has some 'dream' features!

Furniture, we had some secondhand stuff bought for our previous unfurnished rental. Bought a bed and mattress; neighbours donated two single beds and we are making do and replacing when we can. Last year we bought wardrobes for the bedroom, this year we got a matching sofa suite.

[simon]

Thank you very much for the replys, very interesting to know about peoples first time buying.

More...more...more...please

Orange_Candle

We bought our first (and current) home 1 year after we got married, when we moved and settled for work post-university.

It's not our 'dream' permanent home, but it is closer to it than we were expecting. We anticipated buying a small house to start, then perhaps one in between before our dream house, but we ended up buying a 4 bedroom house which we won't 'need' to move out of until we find our dream house.

A lot of our furniture we got from friends/family either given or at a discount. We did splash out on a big new sofa though!

When we first started looking, we hoped to buy a little closer to the coast than we have ended up, but with hindsight we are glad to be where we are, it is a better location for work, for visiting family/friends, and for schools. We wouldn't want to live anywhere else now!

dell12

I bought with a friend 2 years ago in East London. It's a flat in a nice Georgian block of 6 flats. It's a very pretty listed block complete with original wooden panelling which we fell in love with.

As most first time buyers do, we completely underestimated the work which needed doing, and as such have lived in a building site for 1.5 years. The flat was a run down buy to let, with single glazed windows which were completely rotten (not picked up by the survey).

Since then we've done up every room, one at a time doing what we could ourselves and paying for what we couldn't do. It's depressing spending literally every penny you earn on stuff for the house. I certainly couldn't do it all again and the next place we buy will definitely not need work doing.

I have also learnt how impractical old Georgian listed building really are. It's freezing in the winter even with the heating on, and if the roof isn't leaking it's one flat leaking into another. Not a home to live in forever but I have certainly learnt some solid DIY skills.

Katekoom

We're just in the process of buying our first house. 1947 ex council house. Been married 2 years, living together 6 and fed up of renting.

I am apprehensive but I'm ensuring we've got all the surveys and checks that we can and that everything is boxed off. Electricity, gas checks, damp and timber checks - everything I can think of/have read about.

It's not our perfect house, but it's got a lot of potential and it's a fairly decent sized 3 bed - which isn't half bad for a first house at the age of 24.

I suppose I just think, what's the worst that can happen!

However, many people have differing opinions on buying. I've heard them all! My boss says 'it's never really yours, why bother' and my dad 'it's just a possession.' But having seen my mum and my partners mum moved into small accommodation due to council regulations, with no choice and no freedom, I think I'd like to have a choice and take responsibility for my own future lifestyle.

But that's just me! :-)

[simon]

Thank you very much for those reply's, very interesting read.

smiley2085

Hi
I'm a first time buyer and I'm looking to buy a house but I'm not sure whether I should buy a house or a flat because it would be a family home (I'm married, no kids just yet!). It's nice to read about other people's experiences with buying houses.

Right now I'm (trying) to save up money for our house and living rent free in my parents second home Even though I'm saving lots of money this way I feel like I'm really a long way off buying something of our own..

ihatemyhouse

wrong thread

Shiloe

Just bought with bf its a new build and we love it ! Its just what we wanted and at 23 as a first home it is beyond perfect.

And yes lived with the parents to speed up a deposit but we have walked away with a large chunk of a deposit so all worth it in the end

Doshwaster

I bought my first (and so far only) house in 2010. I was rapidly approaching 40 and had been renting forever so I decided it was about time I grew up and bought somewhere.

The whole process was daunting but it all went fairly smoothly. I started looking at properties in Jan 2010 and got the keys at the start of June, so a 5 month process in total. I think I looked at about 10 places but I ended up buying the very first place I had seen.

I'm hopeless at DIY and had no interest in a "project" house so wanted something in a finished condition. You always have to make compromises when buying a house and in my case it is slightly smaller than I would ideally like but it's just me here so it's fine.

3.5 years later and I don't regret it at all. My mortgage is only a few pounds more than my rent was but the house is much nicer and every month more and more of it is mine. The only time I wished I was still renting was when I had a plumbing emergency - it was now my responsibility to fix it rather than the landlord's.