"I Didn't Think It Would Be An Issue": Homeowners Are Sharing What They Surprisingly Hate About Their Homes, And I'm Learning A LOT
Buying a home is a big, expensive decision, and there are so many factors that can go into it. So it's unfortunately all too easy for homebuyers to make a mistake or wind up regretting something about the home they chose.
Recently, we asked homeowners in the BuzzFeed Community to share what they regret about buying their houses, and their responses called out a lot of things I wouldn't have even thought about. Here's what they had to say:
1."I wish I had put effort into finding a good realtor instead of assuming it didn't matter. We lost thousands on a deal that didn't go through because of an inexperienced real estate agent. Once we dropped her and found someone who knew what they were doing, we were in escrow on a great house within a week."
—Mary, Los Angeles
2."I regret buying the right size home with the right size mortgage for the 'now' rather than the future. You just get a bit fed up after a few years and want more space. I’d say if you want two bedrooms, look for properties with three."
—Thomas, Warwickshire, UK
3."I wish we would have set aside more money and had gotten individual inspections by professionals on top of the overall inspection. Now that I have done research, it really wouldn't have been all the much more. Electrician, plumber, vents, etc. My husband and I are handy, but upon moving in, many things went out within three months. Shit wired wrong, water valves older than Moses, etc."
"We would have at least gotten the heads-up and learned what we could and couldn't fix and dealt with it then instead of months, a year from then. Pay what you want for an inspector, but I would also get a more thorough one done by individuals in their respective fields."
4."Get as much insurance as you can reasonably afford, not just the minimum. I bought and old home in June 2016 and had a devastating fire in December 2020. Rebuild costs are nearly five times what I paid for the house. I had to take out a construction loan for the balance. In the end, I look at it as an investment and will get it back in equity upon completion, but ugh, what an ordeal this has been."
—Erica, Buffalo, NY
5."I dreamed of buying a fixer-upper and transforming it myself, assuming I'd save money and get lots of satisfaction from it. We bought an older house that literally just looked slightly dated and would be a simple case of modernizing. It's never simple; it's stressful and expensive. We've lived there three years, and we've still not even touched some of the rooms!"
6."Several things. I wish I had known more about how nitpicky the HOA was. I wish I hadn't bought a house with western exposure and a bedroom over the garage as it is insanely hot in summer and freezing in winter due to the poor insulation. I wish I had bought a ranch-style instead of a two-story as it is harder for my parent to get up and down the stairs."
—Sara, NC
7."Bigger isn’t better. We bought a large house (over 3,000 square feet) thinking our kids would like to spread out and have their own space. Not true. They always stayed in close proximity to the main living areas. We didn’t need the finished basement, or the flex room, or the fancy neighborhood. Sold that and moved to a small ranch house (1,500 square feet), and we’re happier here. It’s easier to maintain, I’m not spending money on space that's not being used, and I’m not spending all day cleaning."
—Maple, WI
8."I wish I’d researched the area more. I bought a house in a tiny village that I’d never been to before. I fell in love with the house itself so didn’t think it would be an issue, but after two years I’ve realized just how isolated and lonely it is."
9."I got so excited about buying a house that I put in an offer on the first decent one in my price range. Everyone told me I would get beat on the offer, but it got accepted! Now I live almost 30 minutes from the city and all my favorite spots. I'm 20 minutes to the nearest decent suburb, so there's not much to do without driving forever or taking an interstate."
—Anna, Nashville
10."I wish we hadn't bought a 200-year-old house. Nothing fits, and everything is crooked. An old property is such a money pit. Our next house will be a new build!"
11."I bought my house seven and a half years ago. While I don’t hate my house in general, I hate the parts of it that are broken. My front room is riddled with leaks and water intrusion that absolutely no one can find. NO ONE! This has been an issue since about five months after I bought the house. I also have to replace the entire downstairs flooring because of popping tiles. I love the location, but the house itself has so many issues. I feel like I just keep dropping money to fix an issue that no one can find."
"I don’t regret buying the house, but maybe how I went about it. I was so excited by the prospect of moving out of my rental property and away from my horrible roommate. I may have jumped the gun a bit. I’m so grateful to have a roof over my head, but this still really sucks. If I would’ve stayed renting, I wouldn’t be responsible for any of this garbage, but here we are."
12."I wish I'd paid better attention and not been so rushed. We were under contract for another house, and the sellers backed out. We were moving for the military, trying to buy long distance, and I felt so much pressure to get a house quickly that I overlooked some significant problems I should've caught when I came to walk through in person. With the next house, I won't let myself be rushed. Short-term rentals are not the end of the world."
13."I regret not using a local lender. I went with a big national bank. They were fine, but Florida has first-time homebuyer programs they didn’t know about, which I could have used to help spend less out of pocket on the down payment and had more for closing costs."
—Katie, Orlando, Florida
14."We didn’t get an inspection on our house when we bought it a little over a year ago. So far, we have paid about $200K in repairs. The previous owner told us in person that there wasn’t anything wrong (AFTER we’d closed), and my husband says he would’ve bought it anyway, but it is stressful living in a construction zone with things breaking constantly."
15."Looking back now, I wish we would have really asked the tough questions to the seller and not believed everything they told us. In an attempt to find a home quickly, we believed all the lies the seller told us. We share a driveway with neighbors on each side. However, one of the neighbors told us we could not use that side because it was on his property. The seller led us to believe that they had an arrangement and it wouldn’t be an issue. They also lied to us about doing specific repairs prior to us taking the home. False invoices and everything. Neighborhood is calm, but hopefully the driveway issue doesn’t become a problem down the line."
—Amy, Nevada
16."I’d hire a different inspector. Ours was recommended by our realtor. He wasn’t very thorough and missed some pretty big issues."
17."I wish I’d been pickier about where I bought. It’s really the one thing you can’t change. Lack of availability in my price range ultimately made me settle."
18."I regret buying it, LOL. Home ownership absolutely sucks. Everything about it. Mortgage, P&I, city taxes, HOA fees, water bill, waste removal bill, all the other bills, repairs, upgrades, etc. And oh, your furnace went out? Throw down another $2K and hope your AC unit and other appliances hold out."
19."I wish I'd started saving earlier and put more money down."
20."Because of our state, we both (married) own the house, but the mortgage is in my name only. Huge mistake…"
21.And finally, "I wish I had bought when I was financially ready, not when I was emotionally ready. I was terrified of writing that check for closing costs and kept thinking that housing prices would be on their way down again 'soon.' If I had bought as soon as I could afford to, I’d be saving hundreds of dollars a month on my mortgage."
—Anonymous
Is there anything you would add? Tell us all about it in the comments.
Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
