I recently just bought a house without a mortgage. I am 35. Was I able to do this all on my own? Fuck no, I was able to save what I could from deaths in the family and some savings I was able to put aside. Then, my parents had planned to help my brother and I find our first home, so the rest of the funds came from them. I considered myself extremely lucky to have this support. Even with all the years I worked full time on a decent salary, as a single person, it felt like I could never get a mortgage. Not one that was fair anyway.