Question for female DUers: Are you the first female in your family to purchase property or a home ??

[SamKnause]

Last edited Wed Feb 1, 2017, 02:05 PM - Edit history (1)

I am the first in my family.

I am very proud of that.

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I need to clarify my post.

I bought my home in 2002.

I saved the down payment myself.

I went to the closing on my own.

The realtor was a friend.

I got the papers the day before.

I read them and circled everything that I wanted explained to me at the closing.

I showed up with a magnifying glass and a calculator.

It took longer then usual and they were not pleased with me.

I got a 30 year fixed mortgage.

My home will be paid for in 4 years, 11 years early.

I was thinking one day last week that I was the first female in my family to purchase a home or property.

That is why I asked the question.

Thank you for all the congratulations.

Sorry for any confusion.

Congratulations to all the strong and awesome women responding to this post !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[greymattermom]

1. My sister and I and a cousin in my generation

have all purchased homes on our own, and we're old. I'm 3 days older than Bill Clinton.

[SamKnause]

4. Awesome.

I purchased my 12 acres and home in 2002.

I was 48 at the time.

[apcalc]

2. Yes, and my sister also.

[SamKnause]

6. Awesome !!!

[Pachamama]

3. Yes, I am...

Neither my mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunts, great aunts etc have ever purchased with their own money a property and had their name on a title of property without it having been their father or husband who was on with them and usually also solely on any loan and paying for it.

As a single woman at age 23, I purchased my first property, a condo I was renting and bought directly from the landlord. Put enough down that I also avoided PMI.

Bought other properties since then, both alone as my own sole property and also as a married woman.

[SamKnause]

5. Awesome and congratulations !!!

[appleannie1943]

7. No. Hubby and I bought our home. One of our daughters is the first to buy her own home.

We raised all 7 of our kids to earn what they want in life and to be independent and make their own choices, even those that chose marriage and families.

[SamKnause]

8. Congratulations to her.

[HipChick]

9. Congrats...yes, purchased home on my own..

[SamKnause]

11. Congrats to you.

[HipChick]

14. Had no clue what I was doing...

Closing costs? no one told me about that..

and the housing inspector was a friend of the real estate agent..

[SamKnause]

28. I got the paperwork for closing the day before.

My realtor was a friend and he got them for me.

I read them over and circled everything that I wanted explained to me.

I showed up at the closing with a magnifying glass and calculator.

They were not happy because it took longer then the usual rushed affair.

[DURHAM D]

10. No. My great grandmother bought a farm in 1903. nt

[SamKnause]

12. Damn, that is impressive !!!

Women weren't allowed to get credit cards until 1974.

[DURHAM D]

16. Correct and they could not get a mortgage

unless their father or brother co-signed.

My great grandmother was able to pay cash for the farm. She was the first woman to serve on the board of the local coop/grain elevator.

[procon]

25. That's what my widowed grandma had to do back in the early 60s.

She had enough money to bypass the banks and pay cash for a farm to start an orange grove on her own. She got elected to the local Grange and organized a feed co-op, and was very active in her little town. Even though she was a well known personage in the community, the bank was still reluctant to make her loans. I remember her yelling about getting robbed because the bank was charging her higher interest than her male neighbors.

[fleur-de-lisa]

13. Yes. I am.

My mother's name is on the property she and my dad bought together. Ditto for one of my sisters.

I am the first to purchase my home in my name only and with my income only.

[SamKnause]

18. Congratulations.

[gwheezie]

15. Yes

I bought my 1st home in 1978 as a single parent.

[SamKnause]

19. Awesome and congratulations.

[csziggy]

17. No, my great aunt purchased her own home in the 1930s or 40s

She was an instructor (maybe professor) at Oberlin College, had her own career, never married, and lived independently from when she graduated from college in the 1910s. Her close companion also owned her own home - although they were very close and traveled together many times they lived separately while they were both still connected to Oberlin.

They planned to build a house where they could live together at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina but my aunt's friend died before the house was finished. The ownership reverted to the school and my great aunt never went back to the school.

With that family tradition, my two older sisters and I both purchased our own properties - they bought homes before they married, I bought property on my own soon after I was married but my husband's name has never been on my property.

[SamKnause]

20. Awesome and congratulations to all.

[csziggy]

22. My great great grandfather left money to make sure his grandchildren went to college

And treated the girls the same as the boys. For 1905 that was incredibly unusual! It made a big difference when both my grandmother's sons had mostly girls - out of ten grandchildren, nine were girls! ALL of us completely college.

That is a wonderful legacy which I appreciate every day. I wish every woman had come from families like my grandmother's where girls were treated and encouraged equally.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

21. Congrats!

I'm the only female in my immediate family, but I have several cousins who have not only purchased their own homes, but one did so with the money she made from the extremely successful business she started.

[SamKnause]

29. Congratulations to you and your cousins !!!

[procon]

23. When I bought my home, a woman couldn't get a loan without a man

to co sign as guarantor... cuz we're all so flighty and irresponsible doncha know! Even though it was my money making the down payment, and my income paying the mortgage, it was the early 70s and I had to bring in my husband to approve of my decision. It was humiliating. I had to put his name on the deed, and later fight in court to get him the quitclaim my property back to me. I'm still here, living free and clear of debt and the flighty and irresponsible husband.

Still, I wasn't the first woman in my family to buy a home. Post WWII, my grandparents had an avocado orchard in what is now downtown Pasadena (think Rose Parade) and when he died, grandma sold the property and started an orange grove in central Calif. She had enough money to bypass the banks until the farm was profitable, and even then she always had a hard time getting loans just because of her gender.

[alarimer]

24. No (or at least not so far).

I have a job that has never paid enough for a home loan. I am a public employee. This is especially true now that I live in MD. I will only buy a home with my partner, who makes significantly more than I do.

It is just the nature of the work I have chosen to do, plus student loans, plus honestly just not wanting the burden of home ownership. I can move annually if I want to, not that I do, but it provides significantly more freedom to be able to pick up stakes and go almost anywhere. I'm not the type to set down roots, so, in that, I am way more fortunately than my forebears.

[JenniferJuniper]

26. I am. In 1993 in my late 20's

[SamKnause]

30. That is damned impressive !!!

Congratulations.

[jodymarie aimee]

27. have never owned a home in 65 years

and now never will. Disabled by abusive husband.

[SamKnause]

31. I am sorry to hear that.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

32. My Mom was the first in her family.

Back in 1964. She was a single Mom with three children and a vice-President at a bank, but she still couldn't take out a mortgage without a male co-signer. We've come a long way, baby -- congratulations!

[SamKnause]

33. Indeed we have.

With Republicans in charge, we will have to fight tooth and nail to continue forward.

[happynewyear]

34. Yes

Was on a waiting list for 10 years and my name finally came up.

Got me a house for $85,000 and it is now paid off and it belongs to me!

[SamKnause]

37. What kind of waiting list ???

How awesome your home is paid for.

I have about 4 years and mine will be as well.

I had a 30 year fixed mortgage, but it will be paid off 11 years early.

[happynewyear]

47. Rural Housing Service (USDA)

I am happy to report said house has tripled in value since I bought it!

It needed quite a bit of work and over the years I've managed to make some improvements.

It was foreclosed and stood empty for a few years before I came up on this list.

It matched my needs to perfection!

Small it is but it is on a double sized lot!

Since when do women not know a thing about buying and selling property?

[SamKnause]

50. Thanks for the explanation.

I think my brother got his home that way, but at the time there was

no waiting list.

[happynewyear]

60. I've had said house for 15 years

I'm sure the waiting list is longer than ever now if said program still exists.

I'm glad I waited, that is all I will say about it.

And yes, I got mine after lots of hard work and patience.

[SamKnause]

62. I think my brother bought his 30 years ago or longer.

[usedtobedemgurl]

35. No.

My mom owned several homes throughout her life.

[BainsBane]

36. No, my grandmother was widowed fairly young

So she bought a house on her own after her husband died. My mom bought a house as well.

Congratulations on your new home!

[SamKnause]

39. Thank you.

[starshine00]

38. no my great-grandma was a bad@ss

she left her husband in rural NC and moved to the big city of Asheville, bought herself a boarding house on Hiwassee street and supported herself that way. She moved twice, buying two more boarding houses in succession that were presumably larger each time.

[SamKnause]

40. Indeed she was a bad ass.

[starshine00]

44. I wish I had gotten to meet her

Congrats on the purchase of your home, I have not been able to do so and may never be able to in this lifetime. I can only imagine your euphoria, thanks for sharing your delight in your accomplishment, it is wonderful to think about. I always assumed that naturally it would happen to me but anymore I just don't know. My mother was supposed to leave me the house she is in but she is so double-dealing I suspected it would be sold after she dies and she just admitted to me the other day that this is her plan...I will have to buy it from my siblings if I want to keep it. I have another ancestor whose name was Minerva Sarah Jane Arrington Davis who helped found Mars Hill College and sent all four of her daughters to 'normal school' to be come teachers so they would have an occupation. These women knew the taste of Saudia Arabia type restriction of their lives so when freedom came in new legislation, they grasped on with both hands.

[SamKnause]

45. Thank you for your input.

Your ancestor sounds like an awesome woman.

[starshine00]

48. I think she just got tired

When I asked my grandmother what her father did for a living she said 'he tinkered'. He didn't sound too ambitious and apparently they just got by and apparently Gertie got tired of it and knew she could do better on her own with her own scant resources. They did not divorce, she just up and left 'the country' and made her way.

[we can do it]

41. Yes

[SamKnause]

42. Congratulations.

[haele]

43. I was.

Prior to 1978, it was very difficult for a woman to buy an actual house on her own - she typically needed a male co-signer, either a husband or a near male relative. All the single women in my family have inherited their homes, or got them in a divorce.

Since I'm the oldest in my generation, when I purchased my house in 1995, I was the first woman in my family to buy a home on her own. Oddly enough, now that I'm married, the last three family vehicles, the current home we live in, and the bank account and credit cards are all in my name. My spouse would rather I control the budget, because I'm better at it than he is.

Haele

[SamKnause]

46. Congratulations.

I have always handled the budget in all my relationships.

I have always had a knack for stretching a nickel into a dollar.

You have a very wise spouse.

[raptor_rider]

49. I did, back in 1999

All by myself. Saved my down payment and got it. Single mother to a 2 yr old working 45 hrs a week in a oilfield supply store. Sold it back in 2011 though.

[SamKnause]

51. Congratulations.

I saved my own down payment.

I worked 6 days a week 8 hour shifts.

[athena]

52. No, but

(and it depends on exactly what you mean by family -- nuclear or extended), but I'm the first to get an undergraduate degree, and the first to get a Ph.D. My maternal grandmother did not even have an elementary school education.

Congratulations, BTW. I have not actually purchased a home personally.

[SamKnause]

56. Damn you are impressive !!!

Congratulations on your Ph.D.

[athena]

61. Thanks!

It feels good to put things into perspective. We may feel we have failed to break the glass ceiling, or accomplish as much as we wanted (as I do), but overall, if you look back one or two generations, there is huge progress. Purchasing a home and paying off the mortgage so early is a huge accomplishment.

[handmade34]

53. yes

[SamKnause]

57. Congratulations.

[NastyRiffraff]

54. You should be proud

I'm actually the second in my family. My mother didn't believe in renting although as a child I craved living in an apartment like most of my friends.

Kids, eh?

[SamKnause]

58. Congratulations to you and your mother.

[lostnfound]

55. Yes, as far as I know. In about 1990. Nt

[SamKnause]

59. Awesome !!!

There are some strong and awesome women replying to this post.

It makes me proud for all of us.

[mainstreetonce]

63. As a couple we bought our first home in 1970

In qualifying us for a mortgage,they would not accept my salary,only the male head of household.

[mnhtnbb]

64. By myself, without a spouse, yes.

My mom owned property with my dad. I owned property with my first husband. After we divorced in 1979, I later bought a condo by myself
a couple of years later after the apartment I was renting was burglarized.

Since I remarried we have also owned property jointly.

But yes, I did buy a condo on only my signature, qualifying for a loan on my income, in the early '80's. I still remember being turned down for
a Sears credit card in the '70's because my first husband's credit was lousy and they wouldn't consider my application--as a married woman--based solely on my own credit record (which was excellent).

Now, many years later, at almost age 66, my second husband and I currently own our home jointly which is mortgage free.

[hunter]

65. Excellent!

My own family has been matriarchal for a long time, since at least the 19th century.

Women who had sole ownership of ranches, farms, and homes were the norm, even when they were married. If I could make any generalization it's that the women were practical and their men were dreamers.

Some of it was property willed to daughters rather than sons deemed too irresponsible to own properties, some of it was property homesteaded or purchased by the women themselves.

One of my great grandfathers lost near everything he had betting on the aeronautics, film, radio, and other "high tech" ventures of the early 20th century. Unfortunately he bet on the wrong players. Fortunately my great grandma had sole ownership of her property, otherwise she would have been a destitute widow when he died.

[meadowlander]

66. I will be.

I've got the downpayment saved and have started looking but haven't found the right house yet. Might hold off for a bit to see where the Trump years take us, but plan to get there eventually.

[SamKnause]

67. Good luck house hunting.

I hope you find exactly what you are looking for.

[spiderpig]

68. Me too. In 1988. All by myself across the country from family.

Scraped together the down payment by myself. I knew next to nothing about real estate.

But I grew up with a houseful of pets and wanted my own. It was difficult to find a decent rental at the time that would let you have even an indoor cat.

I was a motivated buyer!

[SamKnause]

69. Congratulations.

I am proud of you.

[Butterflies]

70. Yes - I hadn't thought about that before . . .

I bought my house by myself in 2000. I had always assumed I'd buy a house with a husband like all other women in my family, but I never met the right guy. I appreciate it so much now - I really like that I don't have to compromise about decorating, and I am proud that my name is on the deed. I'll have the mortgage paid off in 2025 (8 years).

[RealityChik]

71. Nope, there were 2 generations before me...

on both sides of our family and my husband's sides owned their own homes, as all were war veterans eligible for VA loans.

As for me, we also had the VA loan program to thank for our first home. We were able to buy a condo, north of Honolulu, Hawaii, with no money down, while the husband was still in the Navy at Barber's Point NAS. In Hawaii, when you buy a home, you can usually double your money within 5 years. That's an extra boost for first time buyers there. But we ate Ramen, rice and beans for the first 2 years! Making the mortgage was quite a struggle.

All the family have been blessed.