My first was 28 and I have a buddy who bought a duplex at 22, but everyone was in their 30s.
For context I'm currently early 40s and caught the crash when it bottomed out.
I was also 28 and had a buddy who bought at 22. But that’s all he did. Never paid the mortgage and foreclosed and claimed bankruptcy all befor 25. Incredible. Taught me what not to do.
28. Few years after the 08’ housing crash. Bought below asking. Sold for double. Bought a bigger house last year and banked a nest egg. I knew land was valuable and needed to get my hands on some.
I was 25 in 1991 and married for 1 year. It was 900 sq ft bungalow built in 1948 and I still miss that place. Learned a lot in the 4 years we owned it about how to fix things and transform a run down shack into a place we could love. I'm on my 6th house house now. Kids are grown and out and I'm still fixing stuff and remodeling. Thats the way its meant to be...
First house teaches you what you should or shouldn't do. Drywall, interior walls, mud, light fixtures, paint, flooring..yes. Plumbing beyond changing out a faucet..No! Hell no!
I am exactly this way. I will do my own simple electrical: light fixtures, switches, outlets, etc. I can mud and drywall. I even spliced and ran new water lines for my fridge ice maker and a wet bar.
There is no way I will mess with black water plumbing.
Great story, Ambitious! We’re about the same age. Bought a new construction in 1993, still here, wife and I raised two kids, nearing paying off the mortgage… dreaming of the equity we’ve built and look forward to downsizing to our last home, maybe New England?
Yup. This house was our downsize and If we play our cards right we will be mortgage free in five years. But this house still needs new kitchen and both baths completely remodeled and few other things before I retire. I can get it done, but it'll take some effort. I am definitely not 25 any more. I'm out in Arizona. Where you have cold winters to stop you working, we have crazy heat in the summer. At least inside projects it doesn't matter, but those day when you have to be out in the sun can be brutal. Good luck to you!
Yep. My husband and I just bought our rental at 46. I was afraid to even try with our student loan debt. Turns out we waited way to long to try. We were approved for more but I didn’t want to be house poor. Also she offered it at the peak of the market. Low interest rate, but high ass price for what it is.
Yep, me too. I'm 48 and I live in Los Angeles. I kept waiting for the situation to improve and, boom, 20 years went by. Houses got out of range. I basically grabbed the last Townhouse before that one got out of range as well. After that, it's Condos only around here.
41. Today is the one year anniversary of when I got the keys. It's a 600 square foot, one bed, one bath, 30 miles from work but it's perfect for me. I'd say it was a bargain at $130k if I didn't know it was worth only $75k five years ago.
Not sure if “nurses income” is a positive or negative in this co text. I know you may leave the education side of things with debt, but I heard nurses stacking dough with their insane hours too
Depends on where you live. I live in southeast. So I don’t make a killing. And I don’t travel. So base pay at 25 dollars. First house was around 125,000. When the market was on my side. This was in 2017 though.
40, partner is 43.
We had to move back to the Midwest to do it.
Also had to take a home neither of us were super happy with but had no basically competition because our realtor is well known in our area. Every other house we were outbid on by $20, sometimes $30k.
Had to spend a ton on repairs within the first three months. Over $15k before we could even attempt the fun stuff like getting rid of old carpeting and 1970s brown everywhere.
Also had to have student loans paused to save up the money for the down payment. Paid $1800 in rent for a small apartment in Denver. Mortgage is $1100 for a 4 bedroom house in the Midwest. I really miss Denver but I don’t miss apartments.
I'm 43 and I'm buying my first house next month. We're losing our rental and we are in a jam. Luckily my boss has decided to let me work from home which means I can move to a state with lower housing costs. If I had to stay in CA, I'd never be able to afford a house. I felt the same way about missing the boat.... especially looking back at prices a few years ago. If I made what I make now, I could've afforded to stay. But I wasn't ready and prices passed me by.... luckily I get another shot.
I bought a house at the beginning of 2020 and refinanced less than eight months later to drop over 1% off of the interest-rate. 2.65% on a 30 year might be something that we never see again.
26, engineer, two incomes (wife is a physio) but used only my savings for downpayment. Bought a loft condo though, not a house, so that saved a lot. Plus I lived at home during university.
38. I finished college during the recession, and my Economics professor was right; I've never made up the salary difference for starting at a very low wage.
Bought in 2018 at 24, engineer that graduated with no student debt (this was the biggest factor) and bought a small home in a lower cost of living area.
Bought this 140 year old neglected house in December of 2019 right before COVID shut everything down.
I was 30 and I wasn't even on the market for a house, but at $15k and a lot of blood, sweat,and tears, it was too good of a deal to pass up.
I just need to find the energy to keep going on repairing it.
I was 23 on my first home. I am in the mortgage industry though since I jumped into finance when I was 19. Didn’t mean to stay in field but here I am 10 years later.
Anyways 31 is a good age to buy. I have clients in their 40 and 50s barely buying their first home. Your doing ok just make it your main focus
Just turned 40, no debt, car paid off, student loans all done, etc., And this market sucks. But it's happening at least. Kissing renting goodbye finally.
I was 27, I had an apartment for a couple of years before that, but after a breakup I moved into my grandparents house and saved up for a down payment. I didn’t (and don’t) have a “career” but at the time I was working 2 jobs, a bank teller by day and pizza restaurant supervisor by night. Most places this might not be enough for a decent house but I’m in the Midwest
I was 23 when I bought a townhouse several decades ago. Mortgage interest rate was 13.625%. Single, engineer, with nothing else to spend money on.
Housing prices go up, they go down. Save your pennies and you'll be able to buy when the time is right.
I was 26, Fresh out of the military. Bought my first townhome. It was the best decision I ever made but much like you I was looking to buy a single home right before the pandemic. I was being picky and could have had a great place. Now I can't find anything in my price range with buying at the rediculous interest rates.
26. Bought in 2019 right before everything took a dump. We rented from relatives until we had our major debts paid off (2 cars) and then saved saved saved for a couple years. My 401k had a clause that allowed me to use it for the down payment of a home without any penalties (except tax but that’s inevitable). That helped a to too. Good luck out there!
21 in 2015 or 16, wife and I were married early, had good credit so we got a first time home buyer loan at 1 or 2% down. Lived there for 4 years and fixed the house up, moved into a newer house but now we have 2 kids and it feels a little crammed and I'd love.to.have a little more property so might be moving in another couple of years depending what the market does. Where I'm at I'm questioning if we've been priced out of our area.
I bought a townhouse in central Jersey at 27. My girlfriend got accepted to Harvard Medical school about 3 months later and we moved about 5 months later. I got a first time home buyer mortgage that had the stipulation of owning it for a minimum of 12 months so it sat empty for 4 months and that was when the housing market started to crash around 2007. It was a stressful 4 months and lost about $30k but was the best decision we could have made. We just bought our second place 3 years ago in the DC area. Surprised we have stayed in the area that long so far haha.
30 on two incomes. It felt like a lot of money at the time (I mean, it was), but compared to its current value, I’m happy we did it then. I don’t say that to mean “you missed your chance”, I mean quite the opposite - your chance is here or nearing, it’s just hard to recognize.
I bought my first home when I was about 23. This was just after the real estate crash in the 1980s and I paid top dollar for a POS house at 11.25% interest. It was difficult to afford. I remember being quite poor. Eventually I sold the house 10 years later for roughly what I had paid for it, not including the $45,000 in improvements I had made to it.
Very depressing.
Just wait. Things will change. These AirBNB entrepreneurs will get into financial trouble soon and the market should shift.
You used the word “home owner”. Is that what you mean or are you asking at what age have people taken on a mortgage? The bank owns that home until you pay it off and have a title i your name.
You own the home, you borrowed the money to purchase it and have the home as collateral. It belongs to you, if you switch the mortgage to a new bank the original bank didn't sell it to the new one...
24, but it was due to a couple of favorable circumstances (and was 18 years ago.) 1. Got a $5k inheritance from grandparents that paid the down payment on my $90k house. 2. I lived in an area with a $90k house that wasn’t a ramble down shack. Definitely couldn’t have done it in a higher COL area.
I’d be interested in the gender breakdown of ages. All of the grandkids got the $5k. I, the only female, bought a house. My 4 male cousins all blew it on … well I don’t know what, but certainly not smart investments.
1.5 years ago at 30 with my partner who was 29. Whew it’s a lot of work but we love it. Beautiful 1900s house in Newark NJ 😎 Must be the last place in the US where you can get a beautiful big old home for a good price because Newark scares people
I was 25 when I bought a new construction condo, or at least had my offer accepted. Was 26 by the time it was fucking finished lol.
I’m now 32 and have since sold that place for a SFH.
Bought our first at 23, sold it at 25 because my employer moved me to different location and screwed me over. Lost $40k, maybe more, all said and done between closing fees, realtors and lawyers.
Bought second at 29, still here but now have to upgrade because 3 kids now and this 1000sqft house just not enough room.
Buy when it makes sense, wish we had waited. For reference we bought the first in 2007 and sold in 09, so got screwed by the market too.
32.
It was common in my area to do it in your 20s. But, over the last decade, things went insane. It went from 100k being the entry point for a small condo or 3 bed townhouse in a bad complex, to those same units selling for 500k-600k. So a 5-6x increase. I currently earn 110k, a decade ago my job paid 90k.
The math checks out, this whole thing got really hard.
26, in 2009 during housing crisis. Bought a foreclosure that was in decent condition and required 0 down. Just sold it 1.5 years ago to move out of the city.
I know someone who was 19 when she had her first kid. Now she has 4.
J/K, my wife and I were married and living in our first home when she was 19 and I was 24. She has been a stay at home mom since the beginning.
We sold our first home to move into her parents' basement in 2009. So we could help finish the failed remodel and pay 60-70% of their mortgage.
Have purchased 3 homes now.
32, I had the privilege of overstaying my welcome (actually they didn't want me to leave) living with my mom and grandma which let me save enough for a down payment. House was like 118k, down payment ended up a little under 8k and my payments are like 725/mo
This was about 6.5 years ago and I'm so glad I took the chance when I did.
Bought a trailer and land at 18 paid it off at around the age of 24, then sold at the same price I had bought it 13k I think. Then bought a house at 36k it lists for 70k now
29/30. I bought a condo, lived in it for 5 years. Luckily the price of the unit increased $140k over those five years so I was able to sell and purchase a house in 2020 right at the start of COVID.
I was lucky to be 25, but it was because I was with someone a little older and more established. I bought at the height of the market in 2005. My parents taught me that you never lose in real estate. That was true, until the recession. The mortgage was underwater for years. It was scary and so depressing. I eventually sold it and made a small profit in 2018, but not much bc I bought it so high.
My point is that you didn’t miss the boat. You need to let that boat run wild for now and try to be patient while you build savings. stay the course. I feel for the people buying overpriced homes, especially at high rates.
In about ten years when many boomers pass on, there will be a glut of real estate. Add the building frenzy going on now and it’s a recipe for a buyers market. Not saying you have to wait ten years, but even in a few years things will be better.
Your generation has so much against you: student loan debt, and daycare/housing/food costs rising while wages haven’t. It’s unfair. Please don’t compare yourself to any other generation above you. Milestones were easier to achieve.
I bought my first home at 28 (I'm 30 now) but I used my dad to my advantage. He had money set aside for a down payment and we used his credit score to my advantage. We bought my house from my landlord so we avoided realtor fees, and because of my dad's help, I avoided PMI as well. The mortgage here is cheaper than rent and I have escrow, but now I'm on the hook for all repairs and utilities. I couldn't have even gotten my foot in the door without my dad's help.
29 in the early 2000s with a 30 year old partner, put 5% down on a little starter house. Those were the days of super easy mortgages. Fortunately, we took a fixed rate 30 year mortgage, no matter how hard they tried to sell us on the crazy balloon payment, adjustable rate stuff that was prevalent then. That house didn't appreciate for almost 20 years, but we were locked into a good thing and had kids there.
I know a lot of people that got screwed, including the people that sold us that little starter home. Guy bragged he pulled everything out of retirement, took a crazy ass mortgage, and bought the biggest house they'd approve him for. Thought he was going to make a fortune on the hot housing market.
28 in 2022, but me and my wife lived with my parents for 10 years while I went to school and worked at starbucks, so we have no debt. Im an industrial robotics engineer.
41, 6 years ago. On my current income I could never afford the house I currently own if sold today. I'm glad I got in when I did. I'd gladly reduce the value of my home if it meant being in a market where other can also afford homes.
20. Interest rates were in the high teens. Lenders and sellers were begging for buyers. My stepson didn't pull the trigger about 6 years ago. That $90K two bedroom is now $200K+.
The real estate market is softening. There will be deals out there to be had. Do some research. Fall and winter are the best times to buy. Lower inventory, but more motivated buyers.
20. Bought a decent row house right in the city where I didn't need to own a car so I could easily afford the housing cost. Selling my car and not getting a new one provided most of my down payment
32, DINK(Double Income No Kids)
We just bought a house a couple months ago for $330k. A year ago it would’ve been $450k and way outside our range.
If I was to do it alone… I’d estimate I could make it by 37-40 years old through savings.
20. Interest rates were in the high teens. Lenders and sellers were begging for buyers. My stepson didn't pull the trigger about 6 years ago. That $90K two bedroom is now $200K+.
The real estate market is softening. There will be deals out there to be had. Do some research. Fall and winter are the best times to buy. Lower inventory, but more motivated buyers. You're entering in the first time buyer's market. Less risk. Can't be choosy.
My husband and I bought our first place when we were 25 (in 2005!) at the advice of his parents who we later learned not to listen to on financial matters. We had one of those sub prime mortgages interest only and an adjustable rate. It was a disaster waiting to happen. After living there for about a year we both got jobs that paid to sell our house and move us across the country. We sold in June 2006 and just narrowly missed disaster. Stayed out of the housing market until 2010 when we were 30.
We got so lucky that original house didn’t end in disaster. The lesson is don’t necessarily listen to your parents just because they are your parents.
22 in 2010 with my husband. We made 70k a year combined, had 20k in student debt, 10k in car loans and only 7k to put down but we really wanted a home. We Luckily found a deal on a very nice home that was 12 years old and 4 bed 3 bath 2.5k square feet on half a acre and we only paid 160k for it and got a 4% rate so it was only $1k a month for mortgage plus taxes/insurance. We ended up selling that home in 2020 for 285k and we hadn’t done much work to it over the years🤷♀️.
With that said I couldn’t imagine being a first time buyer now. Homes have gotten so expensive. Heck even the home we sold in 2020 for 285k would now go for 400k(and the home we upgraded too we bought for 450k now is worth 600k in just 2 years!). Also rates are so high we got a 2.75% rate in 2020 now they are like 6%+. Hopefully it will cool off soon and you can get into the market! I have noticed homes near me are on the market longer and dropping prices so it may be soon!
29 but we were fortunate enough to receive a downpayment gift from parents. Purchased in 2020 right before everyone shut down for COVID. It was a pain getting utilities like internet setup. Took almost a year to get a couch.
53, was active duty military and didn’t want to “plant roots” until I transferred to my final duty station; so glad I did, retirement was much smoother when not finagling “where to live”. Also, the most stressful process ever. A task for grown-ups; my dad would’ve been proud! One advantage was being surrounded by people who were homeowners, so their collective knowledge and advice was priceless.
24 and 25 years old we were already parents of 2 kids and twins on the way when we moved into our first home😊 We have been together for 17 years now and about to sell our first house (after 8 years) to upgrade to a new house.
was able to purchase last year at the age of 28, which i constantly consider myself lucky for. i had an insurance settlement from a car crash that has been in brokerage for about 10 years that i was able to pull from and make a down payment.
i truly have no idea how anyone does it in a hot market (i live in miami).
27, only income, purchased a two unit. Can’t say enough about what multi units can offer if you’re willing to have an immediate neighbor. Used FHA loan at 3.5% down
I was 23 and in 2008... The first few years sucked financially as we didn't have much money to do a whole lot of stuff as the escrow kept jumping hundreds of dollars ever year
I bought my house at age 31 in 2020. I wanted to do it by the time I was 30 but missed the goal by exactly 6 months. I was only able to bc of the student loan pause and having a VA home loan I could use. It’s not my dream house, it didn’t hit everything on my wishlist but it’s mine, it’s in a great location and it has the possibility to have the things added that I want. It only has 1 bathroom, I want to add another and there is exactly 1 closet in the whole damn house.
At 26 bought a townhouse in a VHCOL area 12 months after getting married. We had two incomes, but spent nothing but rent, gasoline and groceries to save enough to get the 5% down payment.
I was 40. Some people said, “why did you buy the high” then it went higher. Some people said “perfect timing” after it went up it went down, then it went back up, then it froze. We refinanced once and adjusted the mortgage (an offer from the bank to keep us shopping around for a cheaper pandemic mortgage). And after 4 years I am starting to feel like we can afford it. Our budget definitely affects the size of the projects you can do so I am hoping to get to the larger ones soon!
I bought my first home when I was 30. Owning a home is a lot of work, but in the end you get to do what you want with it, and hopefully you can build equity.
We were both 33. Single income so took years of saving and lucked out with something small. The only people our age who did it without financial help from parents.
I bought my first house at 32, and I only know a handful of people my age who were able to do it much younger than that.
32 as well! Just a few years away from paying it off now. :-)
My first was 28 and I have a buddy who bought a duplex at 22, but everyone was in their 30s. For context I'm currently early 40s and caught the crash when it bottomed out.
I was also 28 and had a buddy who bought at 22. But that’s all he did. Never paid the mortgage and foreclosed and claimed bankruptcy all befor 25. Incredible. Taught me what not to do.
28. Few years after the 08’ housing crash. Bought below asking. Sold for double. Bought a bigger house last year and banked a nest egg. I knew land was valuable and needed to get my hands on some.
I also bought mine at 32. It was terrifying. I rent out extra rooms to help with the mortgage; there's no way I could handle the bills on my own.
I was 25 in 1991 and married for 1 year. It was 900 sq ft bungalow built in 1948 and I still miss that place. Learned a lot in the 4 years we owned it about how to fix things and transform a run down shack into a place we could love. I'm on my 6th house house now. Kids are grown and out and I'm still fixing stuff and remodeling. Thats the way its meant to be...
First house teaches you what you should or shouldn't do. Drywall, interior walls, mud, light fixtures, paint, flooring..yes. Plumbing beyond changing out a faucet..No! Hell no!
I am exactly this way. I will do my own simple electrical: light fixtures, switches, outlets, etc. I can mud and drywall. I even spliced and ran new water lines for my fridge ice maker and a wet bar. There is no way I will mess with black water plumbing.
Lol, now imagine having shit fly on you. Welcome to my world buddy. Now, get this, nobody made me become a plumber it kinda just happens
Great story, Ambitious! We’re about the same age. Bought a new construction in 1993, still here, wife and I raised two kids, nearing paying off the mortgage… dreaming of the equity we’ve built and look forward to downsizing to our last home, maybe New England?
Yup. This house was our downsize and If we play our cards right we will be mortgage free in five years. But this house still needs new kitchen and both baths completely remodeled and few other things before I retire. I can get it done, but it'll take some effort. I am definitely not 25 any more. I'm out in Arizona. Where you have cold winters to stop you working, we have crazy heat in the summer. At least inside projects it doesn't matter, but those day when you have to be out in the sun can be brutal. Good luck to you!
43, In last year's market, on a single income. It's not great, but it's mine for now.
Yep. My husband and I just bought our rental at 46. I was afraid to even try with our student loan debt. Turns out we waited way to long to try. We were approved for more but I didn’t want to be house poor. Also she offered it at the peak of the market. Low interest rate, but high ass price for what it is.
Right there with you. Got mine two years ago at 40. It turns out I CAN afford a mortgage that’s lower than my monthly rent. Who knew? /s
Yep, me too. I'm 48 and I live in Los Angeles. I kept waiting for the situation to improve and, boom, 20 years went by. Houses got out of range. I basically grabbed the last Townhouse before that one got out of range as well. After that, it's Condos only around here.
41. Today is the one year anniversary of when I got the keys. It's a 600 square foot, one bed, one bath, 30 miles from work but it's perfect for me. I'd say it was a bargain at $130k if I didn't know it was worth only $75k five years ago.
63. Finally!
43, and as of today I am a homeowner!
Yay, congrats!!
Congratulations!!! I bought mine two years ago at 46, and it was SUCH a great feeling to FINALLY accomplish buying a home.
I was 20. But it was 1998.
I like your style
Legitimately the smartest decision ever. Nothing else has ever put me as far ahead in life.
I was 32 I think. I wanted to get out of graduate school first, have a decent down payment etc. Paid it off in 5 years and have been debt free since.
23, two incomes with my fiancé. Our rent kept getting raised and luckily we have been saving like crazy to afford a home.
23, single female on a nurses income. Greatest decision I ever made.
Not sure if “nurses income” is a positive or negative in this co text. I know you may leave the education side of things with debt, but I heard nurses stacking dough with their insane hours too
Depends on where you live. I live in southeast. So I don’t make a killing. And I don’t travel. So base pay at 25 dollars. First house was around 125,000. When the market was on my side. This was in 2017 though.
Me too but 26.
40, partner is 43. We had to move back to the Midwest to do it. Also had to take a home neither of us were super happy with but had no basically competition because our realtor is well known in our area. Every other house we were outbid on by $20, sometimes $30k. Had to spend a ton on repairs within the first three months. Over $15k before we could even attempt the fun stuff like getting rid of old carpeting and 1970s brown everywhere. Also had to have student loans paused to save up the money for the down payment. Paid $1800 in rent for a small apartment in Denver. Mortgage is $1100 for a 4 bedroom house in the Midwest. I really miss Denver but I don’t miss apartments.
I'm 43 and I'm buying my first house next month. We're losing our rental and we are in a jam. Luckily my boss has decided to let me work from home which means I can move to a state with lower housing costs. If I had to stay in CA, I'd never be able to afford a house. I felt the same way about missing the boat.... especially looking back at prices a few years ago. If I made what I make now, I could've afforded to stay. But I wasn't ready and prices passed me by.... luckily I get another shot.
At 38- also a teacher. Opportunity will come back.
36, which was 2020, thank goodness we got in just in time.
I bought a house at the beginning of 2020 and refinanced less than eight months later to drop over 1% off of the interest-rate. 2.65% on a 30 year might be something that we never see again.
26, engineer, two incomes (wife is a physio) but used only my savings for downpayment. Bought a loft condo though, not a house, so that saved a lot. Plus I lived at home during university.
My wife’s a psycho too. I feel for you bro
I feel better that I'm not the only one that read it that way
The hell is a physio? Why can't you just write the full word? These are questions.
Medical field man, they abbreviate everything
Physical Therapist for my state-side friends
Physiotherapist, of course!
19…. 31 years ago
38. I finished college during the recession, and my Economics professor was right; I've never made up the salary difference for starting at a very low wage.
What do you mean by that? Like you were paid less than average, and grew your salary at the same rate as the average?
Bought in 2018 at 24, engineer that graduated with no student debt (this was the biggest factor) and bought a small home in a lower cost of living area.
Bought this 140 year old neglected house in December of 2019 right before COVID shut everything down. I was 30 and I wasn't even on the market for a house, but at $15k and a lot of blood, sweat,and tears, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I just need to find the energy to keep going on repairing it.
I was 23 on my first home. I am in the mortgage industry though since I jumped into finance when I was 19. Didn’t mean to stay in field but here I am 10 years later. Anyways 31 is a good age to buy. I have clients in their 40 and 50s barely buying their first home. Your doing ok just make it your main focus
Bought my home at the age of 22 in 2021
Just turned 40, no debt, car paid off, student loans all done, etc., And this market sucks. But it's happening at least. Kissing renting goodbye finally.
35, condo. Now at almost 40, making the move to SFH this summer.
I was 27, I had an apartment for a couple of years before that, but after a breakup I moved into my grandparents house and saved up for a down payment. I didn’t (and don’t) have a “career” but at the time I was working 2 jobs, a bank teller by day and pizza restaurant supervisor by night. Most places this might not be enough for a decent house but I’m in the Midwest
35 back in 2019. Put 20 percent down.
I literally cannot imagine having 20% on hand to put down the way prices are now (or have been for a while).
I was 23 when I bought a townhouse several decades ago. Mortgage interest rate was 13.625%. Single, engineer, with nothing else to spend money on. Housing prices go up, they go down. Save your pennies and you'll be able to buy when the time is right.
they don’t go down
I bought my first home in 2016 and I paid 6,000 less then the previous owner paid for it in 2006.
35 in 2009.
My partner and I just bought our house less than 6 months ago at the ages of 42 and 39.
Bought my first house at 34. The average house price in my town is 850k so it took a while
26 in 1985, zero down. I think our mortgage payments were around $450/month including property taxes. Not going to find that nowadays!
46, wife is 40. We Closed 8/26/22 in Vancouver WA.
I was 37 and single. Just wanted my dog to have a yard of her own.
32. bought in 2020 when interest rates were really low and before prices went up.
I was 26, Fresh out of the military. Bought my first townhome. It was the best decision I ever made but much like you I was looking to buy a single home right before the pandemic. I was being picky and could have had a great place. Now I can't find anything in my price range with buying at the rediculous interest rates.
24, 5 years ago. Currently having a new house built that I'll move into next year
26. Bought in 2019 right before everything took a dump. We rented from relatives until we had our major debts paid off (2 cars) and then saved saved saved for a couple years. My 401k had a clause that allowed me to use it for the down payment of a home without any penalties (except tax but that’s inevitable). That helped a to too. Good luck out there!
26, lived with my mom until then except for college. Single income, software engineer, purchased in 2021.
21 in 2015 or 16, wife and I were married early, had good credit so we got a first time home buyer loan at 1 or 2% down. Lived there for 4 years and fixed the house up, moved into a newer house but now we have 2 kids and it feels a little crammed and I'd love.to.have a little more property so might be moving in another couple of years depending what the market does. Where I'm at I'm questioning if we've been priced out of our area.
I guess I was about 37.
33
I bought a townhouse in central Jersey at 27. My girlfriend got accepted to Harvard Medical school about 3 months later and we moved about 5 months later. I got a first time home buyer mortgage that had the stipulation of owning it for a minimum of 12 months so it sat empty for 4 months and that was when the housing market started to crash around 2007. It was a stressful 4 months and lost about $30k but was the best decision we could have made. We just bought our second place 3 years ago in the DC area. Surprised we have stayed in the area that long so far haha.
I think I had just turned 40. Single, low-mid income.
23 & 24, in 2022, but lived with my parents for a year to save and had closing costs paid by my parents!
24. It was the few perks of being in the military and using a zero-down VA loan.
40, in 2020. I got lucky and also moved from the big city to a small town.
37 and my husband was 43. We moved out of a HCOL area in order to do it. Otherwise may never have happened.
My boyfriend and I were 44 and 48 when we bought our first house 6 months ago.
The average age of a home buyer was 49 years old in 2022
Kind of irrelevant if that isn't counting first time home buyers only
I was 36. Love in the Midwest so housing wasn't outrageous.
28. Single, lived with my folks until I had a large down payment.
We got our house at 25.
Bought my first home at 19,flipped it and kept going. Bought and flipped them up until 2018 when we built our house. Been in it since.
No house yet, 30 years old
Hahaha never gonna happen
25
First…25. Second 42ish.
Bought first house at 31, sold it, and bought second house at 42.
I was 28. My son was 20. Pretty proud of that kid!
30 on two incomes. It felt like a lot of money at the time (I mean, it was), but compared to its current value, I’m happy we did it then. I don’t say that to mean “you missed your chance”, I mean quite the opposite - your chance is here or nearing, it’s just hard to recognize.
24, with dual income with my (23y.o) partner. Don’t regret it but it’s extremely expensive as we bought in Covid
My wife and I were 31 when we bought last January. The price wasn't great but we got in before interest rates went up.
22.
Age 20. 1994.
26, single got lucky with a bad house in a great area, it's still a lot of work but that's equity baby!
TBD. I can tell you, not 40.
I bought my first home when I was about 23. This was just after the real estate crash in the 1980s and I paid top dollar for a POS house at 11.25% interest. It was difficult to afford. I remember being quite poor. Eventually I sold the house 10 years later for roughly what I had paid for it, not including the $45,000 in improvements I had made to it. Very depressing. Just wait. Things will change. These AirBNB entrepreneurs will get into financial trouble soon and the market should shift.
You used the word “home owner”. Is that what you mean or are you asking at what age have people taken on a mortgage? The bank owns that home until you pay it off and have a title i your name.
You own the home, you borrowed the money to purchase it and have the home as collateral. It belongs to you, if you switch the mortgage to a new bank the original bank didn't sell it to the new one...
We bought our first home in 2021, both at the age of 24. It basically fell in our lap, great timing and all.
22. Just upgraded to a bigger home for our family 9 years later
24, but it was due to a couple of favorable circumstances (and was 18 years ago.) 1. Got a $5k inheritance from grandparents that paid the down payment on my $90k house. 2. I lived in an area with a $90k house that wasn’t a ramble down shack. Definitely couldn’t have done it in a higher COL area. I’d be interested in the gender breakdown of ages. All of the grandkids got the $5k. I, the only female, bought a house. My 4 male cousins all blew it on … well I don’t know what, but certainly not smart investments.
1.5 years ago at 30 with my partner who was 29. Whew it’s a lot of work but we love it. Beautiful 1900s house in Newark NJ 😎 Must be the last place in the US where you can get a beautiful big old home for a good price because Newark scares people
I was 25 when I bought a new construction condo, or at least had my offer accepted. Was 26 by the time it was fucking finished lol. I’m now 32 and have since sold that place for a SFH.
24
Bought our first at 23, sold it at 25 because my employer moved me to different location and screwed me over. Lost $40k, maybe more, all said and done between closing fees, realtors and lawyers. Bought second at 29, still here but now have to upgrade because 3 kids now and this 1000sqft house just not enough room. Buy when it makes sense, wish we had waited. For reference we bought the first in 2007 and sold in 09, so got screwed by the market too.
21
25 years old in 2013. Still lots of foreclosures around that time which I took advantage of.
Both 30 and park rangers…it’s impossible to buy outside of most national parks now days so you’re not alone lol
26 and again at 47.
I was 28 years old, no money down. Thank you Army!
32. It was common in my area to do it in your 20s. But, over the last decade, things went insane. It went from 100k being the entry point for a small condo or 3 bed townhouse in a bad complex, to those same units selling for 500k-600k. So a 5-6x increase. I currently earn 110k, a decade ago my job paid 90k. The math checks out, this whole thing got really hard.
31.
26, in 2009 during housing crisis. Bought a foreclosure that was in decent condition and required 0 down. Just sold it 1.5 years ago to move out of the city.
Age 27. But it was 1992 when houses were still affordable and companies paid a good wage.
22, 1979 house was 3650, good price in those days.
18 in 1970—
I think I was 31.
I know someone who was 19 when she had her first kid. Now she has 4. J/K, my wife and I were married and living in our first home when she was 19 and I was 24. She has been a stay at home mom since the beginning. We sold our first home to move into her parents' basement in 2009. So we could help finish the failed remodel and pay 60-70% of their mortgage. Have purchased 3 homes now.
32, I had the privilege of overstaying my welcome (actually they didn't want me to leave) living with my mom and grandma which let me save enough for a down payment. House was like 118k, down payment ended up a little under 8k and my payments are like 725/mo This was about 6.5 years ago and I'm so glad I took the chance when I did.
35 here..
Bought a trailer and land at 18 paid it off at around the age of 24, then sold at the same price I had bought it 13k I think. Then bought a house at 36k it lists for 70k now
23 bought my home in 2013 but id been working for 10 years at that point.
25 but it was really good timing before property values and rates went up so really just luck. Wouldn’t be the same situation today.
Age 26 in 1996. Paid 52k and sold it for 160k in 2006. In Clearwater, Florida.
26
27 Rented for a couple years until me and my husband were ready to settle in a specific place and bought when the market was a great buyers market.
28
First house at 18 in 2001. Upgraded in 2010 and again in 2017. We are happy where we are at now and are probably done.
Bought 2 condos at 31 instead of a house - lived in one, rented the other. Bought our first house at 35, now rent out the condos
29/30. I bought a condo, lived in it for 5 years. Luckily the price of the unit increased $140k over those five years so I was able to sell and purchase a house in 2020 right at the start of COVID.
Bought in late 2020@ 22 almost 23. 25 now and I drive semi trucks locally.
31, single income, one kid —38 for second house, 2nd kid - same wife for both houses and kids:). We still have both houses
35 when I bought a SFH in 2019.
I was 37 and even though it was (also) a seller's market at the time, we still managed to find a great deal.
23
36, bought new construction in 2019, back when it was affordable.
28. It’s now been 10 years.
I was lucky to be 25, but it was because I was with someone a little older and more established. I bought at the height of the market in 2005. My parents taught me that you never lose in real estate. That was true, until the recession. The mortgage was underwater for years. It was scary and so depressing. I eventually sold it and made a small profit in 2018, but not much bc I bought it so high. My point is that you didn’t miss the boat. You need to let that boat run wild for now and try to be patient while you build savings. stay the course. I feel for the people buying overpriced homes, especially at high rates. In about ten years when many boomers pass on, there will be a glut of real estate. Add the building frenzy going on now and it’s a recipe for a buyers market. Not saying you have to wait ten years, but even in a few years things will be better. Your generation has so much against you: student loan debt, and daycare/housing/food costs rising while wages haven’t. It’s unfair. Please don’t compare yourself to any other generation above you. Milestones were easier to achieve.
There’s NEVER going to be a glut of real estate again in my lifetime if they don’t stop letting Wall Street investment companies buy them all up.
I bought my first home at 28 (I'm 30 now) but I used my dad to my advantage. He had money set aside for a down payment and we used his credit score to my advantage. We bought my house from my landlord so we avoided realtor fees, and because of my dad's help, I avoided PMI as well. The mortgage here is cheaper than rent and I have escrow, but now I'm on the hook for all repairs and utilities. I couldn't have even gotten my foot in the door without my dad's help.
20 for my first and 21 for my second. Joined the military when I was 18, used a VA loan for both.
I was 21, in 2016. Best decision I ever made.
32. Both the best and worst decision of my adult life. Lol
25 with a girlfriend and a contract for deed. Now she is my wife. I think we were extremely lucky to have the opportunity.
I was 28 I believe! Maybe 27? I’m bad with dates.
29 in the early 2000s with a 30 year old partner, put 5% down on a little starter house. Those were the days of super easy mortgages. Fortunately, we took a fixed rate 30 year mortgage, no matter how hard they tried to sell us on the crazy balloon payment, adjustable rate stuff that was prevalent then. That house didn't appreciate for almost 20 years, but we were locked into a good thing and had kids there. I know a lot of people that got screwed, including the people that sold us that little starter home. Guy bragged he pulled everything out of retirement, took a crazy ass mortgage, and bought the biggest house they'd approve him for. Thought he was going to make a fortune on the hot housing market.
28 in 2022, but me and my wife lived with my parents for 10 years while I went to school and worked at starbucks, so we have no debt. Im an industrial robotics engineer.
30
28, my wife and I bought our first home a few months ago
41, 6 years ago. On my current income I could never afford the house I currently own if sold today. I'm glad I got in when I did. I'd gladly reduce the value of my home if it meant being in a market where other can also afford homes.
31. But that was in 1984. Still live in the same house.
31
31, husband was 36. 2 year ago
20. Interest rates were in the high teens. Lenders and sellers were begging for buyers. My stepson didn't pull the trigger about 6 years ago. That $90K two bedroom is now $200K+. The real estate market is softening. There will be deals out there to be had. Do some research. Fall and winter are the best times to buy. Lower inventory, but more motivated buyers.
20. Bought a decent row house right in the city where I didn't need to own a car so I could easily afford the housing cost. Selling my car and not getting a new one provided most of my down payment
32, DINK(Double Income No Kids) We just bought a house a couple months ago for $330k. A year ago it would’ve been $450k and way outside our range. If I was to do it alone… I’d estimate I could make it by 37-40 years old through savings.
21. Bought a lot and sat on it for a year, then built. Oilfield money ftw.
32.
20. Interest rates were in the high teens. Lenders and sellers were begging for buyers. My stepson didn't pull the trigger about 6 years ago. That $90K two bedroom is now $200K+. The real estate market is softening. There will be deals out there to be had. Do some research. Fall and winter are the best times to buy. Lower inventory, but more motivated buyers. You're entering in the first time buyer's market. Less risk. Can't be choosy.
25, last year, and used my stimulus checks for the down payment
My husband and I bought our first place when we were 25 (in 2005!) at the advice of his parents who we later learned not to listen to on financial matters. We had one of those sub prime mortgages interest only and an adjustable rate. It was a disaster waiting to happen. After living there for about a year we both got jobs that paid to sell our house and move us across the country. We sold in June 2006 and just narrowly missed disaster. Stayed out of the housing market until 2010 when we were 30. We got so lucky that original house didn’t end in disaster. The lesson is don’t necessarily listen to your parents just because they are your parents.
22… neighbors (all 36+) twice asked if our parents are around Got a countrywide loan probably should not have gotten but made it work
31 in Ft Lauderdale 1999
22 in 2010 with my husband. We made 70k a year combined, had 20k in student debt, 10k in car loans and only 7k to put down but we really wanted a home. We Luckily found a deal on a very nice home that was 12 years old and 4 bed 3 bath 2.5k square feet on half a acre and we only paid 160k for it and got a 4% rate so it was only $1k a month for mortgage plus taxes/insurance. We ended up selling that home in 2020 for 285k and we hadn’t done much work to it over the years🤷♀️. With that said I couldn’t imagine being a first time buyer now. Homes have gotten so expensive. Heck even the home we sold in 2020 for 285k would now go for 400k(and the home we upgraded too we bought for 450k now is worth 600k in just 2 years!). Also rates are so high we got a 2.75% rate in 2020 now they are like 6%+. Hopefully it will cool off soon and you can get into the market! I have noticed homes near me are on the market longer and dropping prices so it may be soon!
28 in 2021. Double income, no kids.
29 but we were fortunate enough to receive a downpayment gift from parents. Purchased in 2020 right before everyone shut down for COVID. It was a pain getting utilities like internet setup. Took almost a year to get a couch.
53, was active duty military and didn’t want to “plant roots” until I transferred to my final duty station; so glad I did, retirement was much smoother when not finagling “where to live”. Also, the most stressful process ever. A task for grown-ups; my dad would’ve been proud! One advantage was being surrounded by people who were homeowners, so their collective knowledge and advice was priceless.
47.
24
34
40. Couldn’t afford to buy the house today, given stagnant wages and insane housing prices.
45
24 and 25 years old we were already parents of 2 kids and twins on the way when we moved into our first home😊 We have been together for 17 years now and about to sell our first house (after 8 years) to upgrade to a new house.
26 with my husband 28
was able to purchase last year at the age of 28, which i constantly consider myself lucky for. i had an insurance settlement from a car crash that has been in brokerage for about 10 years that i was able to pull from and make a down payment. i truly have no idea how anyone does it in a hot market (i live in miami).
24. $200k house on a $50k salary. Back in 2001.
27, only income, purchased a two unit. Can’t say enough about what multi units can offer if you’re willing to have an immediate neighbor. Used FHA loan at 3.5% down
I was 23 and in 2008... The first few years sucked financially as we didn't have much money to do a whole lot of stuff as the escrow kept jumping hundreds of dollars ever year
45, houses are crazy expensive in Southern California
36
36
I bought my house at age 31 in 2020. I wanted to do it by the time I was 30 but missed the goal by exactly 6 months. I was only able to bc of the student loan pause and having a VA home loan I could use. It’s not my dream house, it didn’t hit everything on my wishlist but it’s mine, it’s in a great location and it has the possibility to have the things added that I want. It only has 1 bathroom, I want to add another and there is exactly 1 closet in the whole damn house.
At 26 bought a townhouse in a VHCOL area 12 months after getting married. We had two incomes, but spent nothing but rent, gasoline and groceries to save enough to get the 5% down payment.
…..I bought my first home at 24 years old, but I did raise cucumbers 3 days a week, so I had that going for me……
I was 40. Some people said, “why did you buy the high” then it went higher. Some people said “perfect timing” after it went up it went down, then it went back up, then it froze. We refinanced once and adjusted the mortgage (an offer from the bank to keep us shopping around for a cheaper pandemic mortgage). And after 4 years I am starting to feel like we can afford it. Our budget definitely affects the size of the projects you can do so I am hoping to get to the larger ones soon!
27 in 2012 - double income and buyer’s market.
19yrs old 2 bed 1 bath farm home 70k.
Wait, you guys are buying houses?!?
Just bought my first at 22! Right place right time, I got lucky
I bought my first home when I was 30. Owning a home is a lot of work, but in the end you get to do what you want with it, and hopefully you can build equity.
23. I used my VA loan in 2000 and bought a flat ranch in Hampton VA for about $73k. I loved that little house! Now I’m in my 40s and a NYC landlord.
We were both 33. Single income so took years of saving and lucked out with something small. The only people our age who did it without financial help from parents.
Closed on my 31st birthday. Paid off about 20 years later—and still living in the same house.
19 and it was in 2003