What age did you buy the 'forever' house?
Discussion
We bought our current house when I was 35 and my wife was 41. I can't see us moving from here until we need to downsize. The house has just over an acre of land, and six bedroom so no shortage of space. As we get older there is also a granny flat that we could move in to if our kids cant afford to buy their own place, they would be welcome to live in the rest of the house.
The answer to the OPs question is when you strike the balance between earnings and what you want from your house, but for most people it will be when they have a young family, as that is when you have the maximum need for space.
The answer to the OPs question is when you strike the balance between earnings and what you want from your house, but for most people it will be when they have a young family, as that is when you have the maximum need for space.
Bought current house may 2000 as a 1st home just because it worked out cheaper to buy a 3 bed house in a council estate than keep renting the 1 bed flat we were in at the time.
Plan was to stay for 2-3 years then look to upgrade to a nice semi or poss detatched but , The house we bought is just to quiet and peaceful there is nothing apart from parking makes us want to move.
We have paid it off and done it up and with a good south facing rear garden and no kids we may never move.
Plan was to stay for 2-3 years then look to upgrade to a nice semi or poss detatched but , The house we bought is just to quiet and peaceful there is nothing apart from parking makes us want to move.
We have paid it off and done it up and with a good south facing rear garden and no kids we may never move.
I bought my first house during the time when lenders were throwing money at anyone - 105% mortgage on a 1 bed back to back house in a commuter town North of Bristol, I kept that for 4 years, though lived mostly abroad for the last 2
In 2009, aged 32 I moved 20 miles closer to family and friends as again I was working abroad (in fact I was only in the UK 5 weeks a year) that was a 3 bed 1960s semi that needed a full refurb.
Having completed that refurb 9 years later I sold that house to move 3 streets away into a 4 bed detached with a double garage (the main reason for the move) it's most definitely not my forever home as it's on an estate and has no land.
Financially I think that I've a couple of moves left, out to the countryside in the next few years (post this period of crazy interest rates) and then possibly one more for retirement - either a small city flat in the UK with another in the sunshine. I may just decide to stay in the country though.
In 2009, aged 32 I moved 20 miles closer to family and friends as again I was working abroad (in fact I was only in the UK 5 weeks a year) that was a 3 bed 1960s semi that needed a full refurb.
Having completed that refurb 9 years later I sold that house to move 3 streets away into a 4 bed detached with a double garage (the main reason for the move) it's most definitely not my forever home as it's on an estate and has no land.
Financially I think that I've a couple of moves left, out to the countryside in the next few years (post this period of crazy interest rates) and then possibly one more for retirement - either a small city flat in the UK with another in the sunshine. I may just decide to stay in the country though.
This house that we live in I bought when I was 37 and as things stand there is no desire to move from here until we retire. So all things being equal I plan to live here for around 30 years in total and then who knows? It will be nice to move somewhere quieter or by the Sea.
No doubt life will throw a curveball somewhere along the line and any plans or dreams will be thrown out.
No doubt life will throw a curveball somewhere along the line and any plans or dreams will be thrown out.
James6112 said:
Was aged 35, in 1996
Last year had a big extension built etc
Needed more space now, not less. Due to grandchildren etc !
Congrats!! Sounds like busy time Last year had a big extension built etc
Needed more space now, not less. Due to grandchildren etc !
.At 35 bought our current home in 2017, amazing 0.5 acre plot with perfect location for work, school, shops, Mway access and privacy.
No intention of moving and currently doing partial rebuild to put our design on the house (it's been added too/extended by every owner).
We spent good while thinking about the rebuild design with the architect, he pushed us to design thinking 20 years+ ahead versus just now. We ended up with a good compromise that gives us what we want now, which is 'design' but retains the option to add/modify the interior space as our needs change in the future with no additional structural building work required.
We feel very very lucky to have got our 'final home' way before 40, but its probably more accurate to say 'final plot', as the house itself is currently like a literal bomb site as demolition phase was still ongoing last week, and even after all the work is done, I suspect we will make future changes to it as needs change.
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 23 March 06:06
Interesting thread.
The age of children and when you get bored of the hassle of London will probably dictate the timing. Personally getting out to a long-term house before they start school means that you're not moving schools as well as moving house when they are mid-education.
If you are taking on something that needs work, also consider how long you feel that you will want afterwards to enjoy the house without builders!
The age of children and when you get bored of the hassle of London will probably dictate the timing. Personally getting out to a long-term house before they start school means that you're not moving schools as well as moving house when they are mid-education.
If you are taking on something that needs work, also consider how long you feel that you will want afterwards to enjoy the house without builders!
Our 'ideal' forever home doesn't align with what is practical right now, with kids, schools and whatnot.
We would want something overlooking water, either the ocean or maybe a lake or a Lough.
We spent quite a bit about 15 years ago to get a very nice looking house in a great spot and while it was lovely, the cost/mortgage kind of restricted our lifestyle somewhat, along with the layout not being great for entertaining family/visitors.
We looked at an extension to solve the layout issue, even more expense, and then decided to sell it and bought a house with a better layout at 2/3 of the cost. Same size, better layout, good location but without the wow factor/kerb appeal.
That was a wise decision as it opened up a better overall lifestyle for raising our family, with more holidays etc. You live and learn as the story goes. No regrets but buying a 'trophy home' wasn't our best decision in hindsight.
We've just bought a caravan on a holiday park, right on the waters edge with a mooring for our boat, so that kind of scratches our waterside living ambition in the short term.
Our forever home could very well end up being staying in our existing house, keeping a waters edge caravan and a property in Spain or France for example. I think we'll keep the door open in that respect.
The caravan we bought was a used one. Really nice one, and at £35k, not a huge gamble. Lots of people stay in holiday parks in Europe so this might be a little tester for exploring that option in the future.
I think overall, we'll just see what way the wind blows and have some aspirations for when the kids are older, but we'll leave them as aspirations for now and see what direction life takes us
We would want something overlooking water, either the ocean or maybe a lake or a Lough.
We spent quite a bit about 15 years ago to get a very nice looking house in a great spot and while it was lovely, the cost/mortgage kind of restricted our lifestyle somewhat, along with the layout not being great for entertaining family/visitors.
We looked at an extension to solve the layout issue, even more expense, and then decided to sell it and bought a house with a better layout at 2/3 of the cost. Same size, better layout, good location but without the wow factor/kerb appeal.
That was a wise decision as it opened up a better overall lifestyle for raising our family, with more holidays etc. You live and learn as the story goes. No regrets but buying a 'trophy home' wasn't our best decision in hindsight.
We've just bought a caravan on a holiday park, right on the waters edge with a mooring for our boat, so that kind of scratches our waterside living ambition in the short term.
Our forever home could very well end up being staying in our existing house, keeping a waters edge caravan and a property in Spain or France for example. I think we'll keep the door open in that respect.
The caravan we bought was a used one. Really nice one, and at £35k, not a huge gamble. Lots of people stay in holiday parks in Europe so this might be a little tester for exploring that option in the future.
I think overall, we'll just see what way the wind blows and have some aspirations for when the kids are older, but we'll leave them as aspirations for now and see what direction life takes us
I think the house we have recently purchased could potentially be our forever home. The issue with labelling anything as such I suppose is you never know what is around the corner which could change things quickly.
We are currently mid renovation of a 4000sqft+ victorian home set over 4 floors, 6 bed/4 bath set in around an acre in a great location, close enough to Leeds for nipping out for a nice meal or night out and with a nearby train station or the same for the kids when they get to that age. Its also enough close by for essential, ie a few shops, coffee shop, deli, etc, etc. It's swallowing money at the moment and really don't intend to purchase anything bigger.
If anything I suspect it will be more a case of whether we will downsize in the future, or move out further into the countryside as we get older and the kids move away, and hopefully spend more time overseas (keep looking at potential of purchasing something whilst young to buy with a view to renting and in essence getting others to pay the mortgage, but haven't found anywhere we like enough that we would want to keep going back to).
We are currently mid renovation of a 4000sqft+ victorian home set over 4 floors, 6 bed/4 bath set in around an acre in a great location, close enough to Leeds for nipping out for a nice meal or night out and with a nearby train station or the same for the kids when they get to that age. Its also enough close by for essential, ie a few shops, coffee shop, deli, etc, etc. It's swallowing money at the moment and really don't intend to purchase anything bigger.
If anything I suspect it will be more a case of whether we will downsize in the future, or move out further into the countryside as we get older and the kids move away, and hopefully spend more time overseas (keep looking at potential of purchasing something whilst young to buy with a view to renting and in essence getting others to pay the mortgage, but haven't found anywhere we like enough that we would want to keep going back to).
First house was a 2 up 2 down terrace - bought for £42k in the mid eighties.
The recent trail started in the mid nineties with another terrace, 3 bed this time, which we renovated completely and then moved to a 3 bed semi in 2000. Again we updated and new kitchen etc, and when the time came to move on in 2008, we actually gutted it and rebuilt it with a loft conversion and extension to make it a 4 bed with a 50 sq m kitchen dining room, 4m bi-folds and all the biz. We joked that it was a 10 year plan and sure enough....
2018 saw us buy this one, I was 56 - it's not a forever home as when we get too old to maintain it we will need to downsize. This one is just going to be a long termer. As is our fashion, we've just finished renovating it and we're in the decorating phase. The summer will see us in a position to chill out and enjoy the results of the last 4 years work.
The recent trail started in the mid nineties with another terrace, 3 bed this time, which we renovated completely and then moved to a 3 bed semi in 2000. Again we updated and new kitchen etc, and when the time came to move on in 2008, we actually gutted it and rebuilt it with a loft conversion and extension to make it a 4 bed with a 50 sq m kitchen dining room, 4m bi-folds and all the biz. We joked that it was a 10 year plan and sure enough....
2018 saw us buy this one, I was 56 - it's not a forever home as when we get too old to maintain it we will need to downsize. This one is just going to be a long termer. As is our fashion, we've just finished renovating it and we're in the decorating phase. The summer will see us in a position to chill out and enjoy the results of the last 4 years work.
The people who’s forever home is purchased when still relatively young, or is their second home etc, I assume the majority of these people are not motivated by career/money/progress etc and just happy to settle.
I can’t imagine most people start off with aspirations to live in in an end of terrace/semi detached 2 up 2 down.
I can’t imagine most people start off with aspirations to live in in an end of terrace/semi detached 2 up 2 down.
Seventyseven7 said:
The people who’s forever home is purchased when still relatively young, or is their second home etc, I assume the majority of these people are not motivated by career/money/progress etc and just happy to settle.
I can’t imagine most people start off with aspirations to live in in an end of terrace/semi detached 2 up 2 down.
That's not really fair. I can’t imagine most people start off with aspirations to live in in an end of terrace/semi detached 2 up 2 down.
Interesting thread. Bought what I thought would 'do' at the age of 27 - 3 bed detached on a new build. The then Mrs rix is now ex Mrs rix and bought with the current partner 5 years ago - an upgrade but maybe it wasn't aspirational enough?! Currently looking at selling and buying a true forever home, a bit more rural, bigger plot, and scope to truly put a more personal/extravagant stamp on something a bit more unique. Needs and aspirations do change with time...
Seventyseven7 said:
The people who’s forever home is purchased when still relatively young, or is their second home etc, I assume the majority of these people are not motivated by career/money/progress etc and just happy to settle.
I can’t imagine most people start off with aspirations to live in in an end of terrace/semi detached 2 up 2 down.
HahaI can’t imagine most people start off with aspirations to live in in an end of terrace/semi detached 2 up 2 down.
I grew up in lovely houses when living with my parents, I now live in a 2 up 2 down. Purchased when I was 21 I will stay here forever. Its just what you value in life, I don't align my aspirations with the house I live in. I love my little house many people wouldn't.
just going on 11 years now, we bought a 5 bed semi, circa 1800 sq ft, I made us buy a bigger house than my wife envisaged to avoid having to move again in a relatively short period of time, she disagreed at the time, but now would admit it was the right choice. Since moving in we reduced the number of bedrooms to 3, and made the top floor into a large den, its all readily reversible should we ever want to sell it as a 5 bed, but we joke we will just close off parts of the house or get a stairlift, we are not moving again, this is the literal forever house.
oh forgot, I was 39, wife was 34.
oh forgot, I was 39, wife was 34.
Edited by wibble cb on Friday 24th March 01:15
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