How old were you when you bought your first house or apartment?

Never bought either. So far as my life is going right now, I probably never will. I don’t even have my own chairs.

I graduated college at 23, lived at home for 6 months, married my former husband at 23 and we bought our house when I was almost 26.

I have no idea what the younger generation does.

I moved out at 18, moved back for a couple of years while I finished school then moved back out at 21 when I got my first real job. I bought my house at age 26 then I got hitched at age 32. For young adults buying a house now it’s harder than ever.

Never bought one; never wanted to. I enjoy life as an apartment-dweller.

I bought my 10 acres when I was 25 or so, put on house on it when I was 30. I love it here. Added 11 acres in back a few years after the house.

I am in my late 40s and have yet to own my home. We are on the verge, but there are guidelines regarding the HOA that ours doesn’t meet, and so our bank – after approving us – backed out on our mortgage. It is neither the fault of our landlord, nor our fault, so we are continuing our ‘rent-to-own’ deal until things change with the HOA.

I was in college, then dropped out, then went back and lived with my mother the whole time, I got pregnant (while on the pill) just as I started grad school, so I went right into being married with a kid on the way and we found an apartment. After my divorce, my son and I moved back in with my mother until I moved into our current home.

My son moved here with my fiancé and I. He has a pretty sweet deal here, as I only charge $250/month rent and his cell phone and groceries are included. However, there is a coworker of his who may have a roommate opportunity and my son is considering it, because although he’d be spending considerably more per month, he just feels it might be a good idea to “take it to the next level”, which I respect. I’m OK with whatever he decides – he’s got a lot of freedom here, he comes and goes as he pleases and his girlfriend was welcome here before they broke up. He and I are close and he gets along well with my fiancé and is respectful of us.

I don’t have any idea what kids his age expect, culturally, because he and I do not follow convention. Most of his friends – including those who went to college – are having a tough time getting good jobs, so they are mostly still home with their parents, too. The economy seems to be the biggest influence on these things than any other factors.

My ex and I bought our first house when I was about 25. It’s really hard to remember exactly. It was brand new, $21,500 and we sold it for about $29,000. Every single time we got a house I was crazy about he’d sell it and move us into a dump in the woods. Oh, the stories I could tell. I was termed ‘a Saint’ by a real estate agent. The correct term would be ’ wimp.’
By the way: he is now old, of course, and lives in a dump in the woods with his girlfriend of 23 years.

I’m 28, still haven’t. Hubby bought his first house when he was in his early 30s. We lost it after the ‘08 crash.

I moved out of the house after college….22 yrs old and bought my first house at 24. I am in my 4th and final house.

My credit is so bad it will be years before I can even consider the dream. Of course, I don’t sit still long enough to need to own a home. I just want somewhere to decorate and make feel like my home.

I bought a flat in a University town in Sweden when I was 31. Up to that time, the extremely high mortgage rates in the States in the ‘70s pretty much killed any dream I had of owning a home in my own country. In Sweden, although I was at sea most of the time, the high rents and incentives for people—especially young people and first time home buyers—to buy their own homes finally convinced me to invest in a place rather than let my savings lay around in a bank. I transfered the resultant accrued equity from one home to the next until just a few years ago when I sold out for good and went back to sea, this time as captain of my own vessel.

Just bought my first townhouse at 41, I’m single and didn’t want to buy until I really had a reason to. I bought my townhouse less than a month after my oldest daughter was finally adopted. It have a place for my kids to call home is really important to me and an apartment just didn’t give that feeling to me.

I closed escrow on my 35th birthday, bought it with my then fiance. Lived there for fifteen years. We had to sell it as part of the divorce settlement.

Roomates or boyfriends until 27, hubs & I married, bought house at 29. I’m a commitment-phobe..lol

I was 23 and married to my first husband. We were in a ridiculously pricey real estate market and prices were skyrocketing so we bought as soon as we had the means in order to get a foothold in the market. Because we bought at the low end of the market when we sold six years later we had no equity and had to find other funds for a down payment on our next property. We made a killing on that one when we sold and on the next couple.

My step kids are all well into their 20’s or early 30’s and only one owns property – a mobile home. None of the others seems to have the interest or the ability at this point. The youngest lives in the dorms so buying is probably not even close to being on her radar. The other two both have families and seemingly no interest in owning a home; they both rent apartments. They have all lived with roommates at one time. Right now though, I don’t think either could buy a house even if they wanted to because of credit, income, student loans, etc.

I bought my first house when I was about 33, single.

I moved from my parent’s house into a college dorm.

I can’t answer “after you graduated”, as I didn’t.

@JLeslie

Stu, 9000K cool.

I bought my first house when I was about 30. It was an officer house on a decomissioned US airforce base. Around the same time, my (then to-be) wife bought her first 1 bedroom appartment.

A couple of years later, we moved in together, in her appartment, sold my house, quit our jobs and travelled the world together for a while from the substantial gains on my house.

Upon our return, we were broke, with only her apprtment left. We both got jobs and about a year later 2001) we bought a new four floor town house. We sold the appartment and moved there.

We still have it… The 2008 crisis has taken ⅓ of its value out…

Looking back at it, I still have a hard time believing how much money that the financial crisis has cost us… Over three years of pre-tax salaries… Gone

I didn’t go to college. Moved out with my boyfriend when I was 18, we married when I was 19, and bought our first home (brand new townhouse) when I was 21. I was, by far, the youngest homeowner in the neighborhood. He was the driving force behind buying a home, and I’m certain I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him, either financially or mentally. If I’d been single, it would have been years later, if ever. We stayed there for 11 years, then bought a nice big house to raise our young children in. We later divorced, but he still owns the house. I’ve never had a roommate, and even the idea of it is distasteful to me for some reason. Severe introversion, probably.

My kids are either in college or soon will be, but we haven’t really discussed their plans for after graduation yet. I don’t think any of them will be thinking of buying a home right away, though.

I finished school at 18 and left home six months later to move in with my SO in another town. We lived in rented accommodation and bought a house the week of my 21st birthday. My partner was 24.

If I had stayed single I would not have bought a house; I would certainly not have been able to afford it.

@ibstubro Graduating was the wrong word to use, because all I really was thinking was when the person was done with school. It could be quitting at age 16. I just didn’t want anyone to consider college in the dorms or college in an apartment funded by their parents as counting. College is typically a unique circumstance. Although, there certainly are people who move out of their parents house, put themselves through school, and truly live as independent adults even while in college.

Valid milestone, “after you graduated”, @JLeslie.

I lived with my parents.
I moved into college dorms.
I moved into fun, crappy, co-ed apartments. I got apartments of my own. I bought my first house at about 33. I now co-own my (2nd) home. I miss my 1st house.

I was 24 and newly married. We bought a nice little starter home in 1983. It was built new in 1981. Lived there for 13 years. Then we divorced and he moved to Washington state, and I moved to a little country town where I bought another house in 1999. Still live here.
My daughter discovered that that the little house we bought in 1981 was condemned and demolished. All the other houses are standing, as is the garage but the house is gone. ;(

36 when the first house was purchased. I was single.

Age 20 at the last year in school.

After college, I moved home for a month or so, and then moved in with a brother and SIL in a different city. It took a year to save up enough money to purchase a used car, and I moved into an apt. with a roommate.

I have no idea what the stereotypical mindset of the current youth is. If based upon the eight nieces and nephews, the on
The common denominator is that all eventually graduated from a college or university; some continued in their education. Five of the eight are married and homeowners. The other three are living in major US cities, living in an apt. with roommates and working in their desired fields.