My parents left me in a farm house when I was 18. I had a pool table and a fridge so use your imagination! (how does a smiley go here)
I joined the USAF 3 years later (1985) and did not buy a house until it was late 1998. But since my assignment was for 4 years, I wasn't going to buy a house north of London either! So to all you "same hometown folks since forever folks" (reservists, etc), enjoy that benefit most active duty don't have. In a nutshell, I was 34 on my 1st house.