I got Alfie when I was 17 years old and whilst I don't regret having him at all, I do now think it would have been sensible for me to wait. Life took over as it sometimes does and I found it hard to juggle everything including Alfie at times. I feel like I let him down a lot as my life changed over the years. With the benefit of hindsight, I could have done a lot of things differently and I probably should have waited until I had my own place before getting a bird. I was still living at home when I got Alfie and my family weren't as keen on parrots as I was. However I was home often enough that he got a lot of time out and about. When I moved out I house shared with people who weren't keen on birds either and the layout wasn't suitable. His cage was in the hallway and he didn't get enough attention. I was also limited to when I could have Alfie out at that point due to the housemates being scared of him.
I even went through the agonizing decision about whether or not I was the best person to care for Alfie and whether I should rehome him. However, my housemates decided to move out and that meant I could rearrange the house to better suit Alfie. I got him a bigger cage and spent much more time with him, rebuilding the relationship that had broken down a bit. A few years later I bought my own house and made sure the layout suited Alfie and his needs first. Ever since I have been trying my best to make sure Alfie is cared for properly.
Looking through the points you mentioned in your posts, you should probably be aware of the following:
Whatever age the bird is, it won't necessarily bond to you. Even if your family aren't as involved as you in the day to day care of the bird, he/she may still favour someone else over you. That's not to say you can't have a relationship with the bird- but they may favour a famliy member over you. Alfie has taken a shine to my housemate, despite the fact he's lived with me all his life and my housemate doesn't have a massive amount to do with him. Alfie still follows my housemate everywhere to see what he's doing. I get totally ignored when my housemate enters the room.
Not all grey's talk. Alfie doesn't really talk. He prefers noises and whistles to words. Grey's have a reputation for being the 'best talkers' but that doesn't mean all of them will use words and be able to communicate effectively. Do not assume your bird will be a talker otherwise you may be disappointed.
They can be loud. Yeah sure, maybe not as loud as cockatoo or macaw... but believe me when I say they will pick up the loudest most obnoxious noises and use them with gusto at every available opportunity. 😂 You'll only need to burn toast and set the smoke alarm off once for a grey to learn that it's great way to get a human's attention and use it accordingly. If you want a quiet pet- get a hamster.
Parrots are the equivalent to living with a toddler. Whilst the toddler phase in humans only lasts a few years, the toddler phase in parrots lasts a lifetime. Birds are sensitive, emotional, intelligent and needy. They are fantastic companions but require a lot of work and understanding to give them the best available life.
I'm not saying don't do it or trying to say it's not a good idea (even though some of my post probably comes off as a bit negative). But you have to know what you're getting yourself into before making that decision. Parrots are a commitment for a lifetime, just like a child would be.