What did you learn from your first ever own home?

LeeMeMe

never built from scratch for myself

babyblade41

it's chilly in the winter when you don't have central heating & having an outside loo is not fun either ...that was in 1980/81 

jackieblack

That I never want to live in a flat ever again 

Soot2006

Buy/fix what you need even if it feels like you can't afford it at the time.  Time and life pass by too quickly to be uncomfortable.

Murphybear

Can’t remember back that far 

koalakoala

jackieblack said:

That I never want to live in a flat ever again 

Oh me too !

newsgroupmonkey_

It's much easier to weed a garden with just a few weeds.... only takes a couple of minutes.

Woolsery

Don't jump in before you find the right thing, even if it means waiting.

I was very analytical with my first buy and fixed on two roads at the edge of a posh area. There were other tempting properties already fixed-up with useful stuff like central heating, double glazing and more than one power point per room, but they weren't located like the one I bought.

Price then 1977: £9251 (sealed bids! ) Price now :£520000. (insane!)

Mind you, I wouldn't live there now. We moved out in 1987 when leylandii and awful parking began to loom too large in our lives!

ProDave

That a 1980's new build was rubbish, cold, poorly build and expensive to heat.

That the idea of tiny gardens and communal parking in a parking area at the end of the row was a stupid idea.

That I really really really wanted the chance to build my own house, it would be nearly another 20 years before I achieved that dream.

AFF8879

jackieblack said:

That I never want to live in a flat ever again 

This!! Also, don’t rush to redecorate/refurbish as soon as you move in (unless it’s uninhabitable). I found it really takes time to discover how you will live in a space, and the choices you’ll make in a years time are a lot different to those you’d make before you move in

onylon

1) People are really crazy about parking spaces and will do almost anything to park a few meters closer to their homes. If you have an allocated parking space but no car, you won't be able to keep it open for guest parking/deliveries.

2) Anyone can DIY in the age of internet tutorials. It drives me up the wall when women claim they can't put up shelves or change a fuse without a man. It's particularly galling when the woman in question is otherwise successful and self reliant.

3) Its amazing what you can live with/do without, when you know that it's temporary.

4) Never live in a property with only one toilet. You can manage without heat or washing facilities but everybody poops.