I saw a statistic quoted on Twitter this morning that 11 is the average number of homes lived in during a lifetime. On a quick count up, I’m already at 21, and I know I’m not living in my forever home yet.
My family was not military, but we were transferred to a new location with my father’s work every 2-5 years – it was simply an accepted part of life. Counting up, so far I’ve lived in…
- 7 houses (multi-story properties)
- 9 flats/apartments
- 5 bungalows (single story properties)
- 3 sharing with fellow renters
- 9 owned or rented (by me)
- 10 owned or rented (by my parents)
There’s some overlap in those figures, but what it does show is a predominance of single story properties when you combine bungalows and flats/apartments. The total splits exactly – with half being my homes, and half my parents’ homes.
It’s interestingly that my siblings have all chosen to live in the more normal multi-story option, while I’ve retained a strong preference for ground floor, single story properties, and would need a great deal of persuasion to live any other way.
While it’s clearly a practical option as one ages, I only consider that aspect to be an added benefit. I have absolutely no desire to live in a flat/apartment on a higher floor – despite the potential benefits of having a balcony and a better view. Films like the Towering Inferno may have played a small part, but having to lug bags of groceries up multiple floors when there’s no lift/elevator (or when it’s not working) is a far greater factor in my decision. In truth, a ground floor flat/apartment is only an acceptable alternative to a bungalow, which is really my preferred option.
For this decision is not an entirely practical one, for the plain truth is that I just like bungalows better. Whenever I daydream about my ideal home, it’s always single story. I suspect it’s due to the fact I spent my childhood years in the tropics where bungalows were plentiful. It’s when and where I was truly happy, it’s where and when I felt most at home. And in order to recapture that same inner sense of home, I find I’m drawn to that style of living.
How many homes have you lived in so far? Are you living in your ‘forever home’? Do you have a preferred style of home?
© Debra Carey, 2022
debsdespatches.com 
Not counting dorms and temporary housing, I’ve had 7 homes. I think the one I’m in now is forever even though I would prefer to retire elsewhere.
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Not counting the dorms I lived in, I’ve lived in 11 homes, although we owned a second home in FL at one point and I lived there off and on. So 12?
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I’ve lived in 18 different residences. (Thank you, divorcing and remarrying parents, plus the Los Angeles rental scene.) I was super excited to move into the last one and hopefully not move again for decades.
It was weird to move from the East Coast, which is primarily 2-3 story houses with tons of stairs and basements, to an area that had so few. I kept looking for the basements in Los Angeles, which are unnecessary because of the warmer climate. But the one-story is so much easier on the aging knees and I never had to worry about the kid falling down the stairs, either (though of course he fell off the porch).
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Interesting – 29 for me. 11 houses with parents, 3 boarding schools, 9 shared flats, 3 army quarters, 3 owned homes – current one is our forever home!
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6. I know we will retire someplace else. While I don’t have a dream home, I want a screened in porch and a soaker tub.
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I am living in my 8th home. The first one I don’t remember because we moved when I was 2. If we could afford it I’d love to have a second home (rent this one out and live in another one) but I’m not sure that’s happening. This home is lacking a fireplace but other than that I love it.
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I used to change jobs and move every two to three years. I think of this house as my last home but I guess we shall see.
Not counting dorms but counting apartments and houses where I lived instead of dorms (which doesn’t seem entirely fair but there it is): 13. I think. We moved into the house I grew up in when I was 9 months old and stayed there until I was 23, at least during the summers. So my house count is lowered by not moving at all until I was in temporary housing at university.
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So far I’ve reckoned up sixteen, including two returns to the parental home between moving because of jobs but I’m sure I’ve missed a couple. Currently for the last nine years in a bungalow but not necessarily our last dwelling. Increasing age may dictate a move to a care home later!
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15 or 16. They do add up while you’re not paying attention!
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Yes, I excluded education too. Sadly, there’s always practical reasons getting in the way of ideal.
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Let’s go with 12 Ally, as I can’t think of you as in any way average 🙂
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Autumn, I cannot deny the added value in single story living. My daughter’s home is an old style town house over multiple levels, with *horrendous* stairs. Both grandchildren seems to cope well, but my aging knees complain like crazy 😀 😀
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Ah, I didn’t include the boarding schools, but even with that addition, your total still exceeds mine – although army life will do that. Lovely that you’ve got your forever home 🙂 I look forward to mine, even though I’m not in any way certain where that will be (or even where I’d like it to be).
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Oddly, LA, I think I’d be very happy retiring in a city. Himself wouldn’t so it’s not on the cards. The screened-in porch does sound appealing though 🙂
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Janet, what is it about a fireplace that draws us so fiercely? I was immune to their charms until staying in a friend’s house where she had both old style fireplace and modern Scandinavian style stove. The traditional fireplace may prove too hard on the old knees, but that stove – oh my! I absolutely loved it. 🙂
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True Zazzy, I think a pattern seen in the responses is those of us with the highest numbers moved around a lot when children too. I think it’s entirely fair to count properties outside of dorm rooms as they always feel more “ours” than dorms even can. 🙂
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Alan, I envy you your bungalow 🙂 One of my houses in the UK was a bungalow, but they’re not as plentiful as I’d like, so I’ve had to compromise since. After a lifetime of travel, my parents stayed in their (converted & extended) bungalow for 40 years which is why it was such a huge emotional wrench for my mother to leave it. Hopefully (fingers firmly crossed) she will be crossing the pond to live in a ranch house (which is what they call bungalows in the US) with one of my sisters.
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Jane, they do, ever so sneakily 😀
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Ha! Thank you
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This was a fun little trip down memory lane. I’m pretty close to average with 12 (with 5 of those being apartments and 7 single-family homes). We currently have the luxury of two homes. Longterm, I believe we will narrow that down to one and that one of these will be our forever home. But who knows? If nothing else, life has taught me that she knows how to throw a curveball!
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Very expensive to retire here. I like it in theory but in reality it just won’t work
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Oh doesn’t she ever! Enjoy the luxury of the two while you can Christie 🙂
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Sadly, the same here LA. Fortunately so, or I’d feel really hard done by Himself’s views on the subject 😀
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Stairs are fun when you’re a kid!
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Yup, they laugh at the sight of their old grandma trying to keep up with them 😀
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