I've always wanted to start a family and have a bunch of kids. I know my parents waited until they were in their 30s to marry even though they met as teenagers, and believe that you should wait until you are all settled to start a family. I haven't met an eligible Catholic woman yet, so there is no rush, but I always wanted to marry a lot younger so I could have more kids. I understand where they are coming from, but is it OK to marry younger and to suffer through those first few married years working towards stability? I don't want to ruin my future family's life, but at the same time, I want to be a dad and to be able to play sports with any boys that I have, and I'm only going to stay fit for so long. Besides, I've already gone through the young degenerate stage of my life and I think that marriage would be a good way of keeping me from accidentally returning to it :).

Also, about how long should you wait to propose to a woman after meeting her and finding out she is the one for you. My parents took nearly two decades, but I think any woman would get tired of me if I waited that long without kids to keep her busy :)

Start young and trust to the Lords provision. 

I don't think there are hard and fast rules with this.  My personal opinion is not to do either extreme:  jump into marriage too quickly or to wait as long as your parents did.  Someone once said to me that a year is a good amount of time to get to know the person...see them in all seasons.  I think that's prudent.  I feel for the young as I think it is so much harder these days for young Catholics to even meet let alone marry.

And before he was homesteading, he lived in an apartment (paying it off) in the city.

I never understood the point of "buying" an apartment (called a "condo" in the USA). I understand homeownership -- having land/property/buildings you own and so you can use to help others -- store things for them, store supplies, offer lodging to your family & kids even after they've grown, etc.

And I understand apartment renting -- when you don't know how long you'll be in a place (buying a home is FOOLISH and not worth the trouble unless you know you'll need it for AT LEAST 4 years, preferably more...) or if you don't have someone to help with maintenance. The retired, elderly, older/unmarried women and even men who are absolutely sure they'll never get married, big-city dwellers priced out of the housing market, students fresh from college who haven't settled down (into a long-term job, or found their lifelong spouse yet), etc.

But how can you really "own" or be master of a condo? Show me someone who needs a "condo" living situation and I'll show you someone who should just RENT an apartment instead. Why tie yourself down to a building with hundreds of other people? What is the point exactly? If you want to invest in real estate, get a real HOUSE already.

My husband and I married after a year of mostly talking online and phone calls, and then i flew over to meet him twice in-person near the end of it. It was a big decision since the plan was for me to move in with him, and I lived in a different province.
He's 31 and i'm going to be 23 soon, and it's been more than a year of being married, which was pretty tough i admit, but i'm sure it'll get better over time. My husband did want to get married young, like as a teenager, but never found anyone suitable, so he ended up waiting a long time to find someone. And before he was homesteading, he lived in an apartment (paying it off) in the city.

Oh, wow...  For some reason I thought you were older.  😅😊

However long a person courts it's important to not dismiss red flags.  They will not go away but only increase after the wedding.  Don't be afraid to pass someone by to avoid not only your future heartache but the suffering of any children born of such a union.

It sounds as if you or people you know have been through some bad experiences....