Tell Me About Your Moment Of "Homeowner Regret" That Made You Wonder Why You Stopped Renting In The First Place

For a big life step that's incredibly normalized, owning a home seems to come with a guaranteed onslaught of trials and tribulations. Sometimes they're minor blips, but oftentimes, they're bigger issues that just make you want to bury your head in your hands and say, "I wish I could go back to renting."

Woman reading through a bill in her home while looking stressed
Urbazon / Getty Images

So, homeowners: I want to hear all about the moment (or, let's be real, moments) when you ran into some sizable speed bumps and really regretted making the transition from renting to owning in the first place.

As a frustrated homeowner myself, I'll go first. Recently, we discovered that the previous owner who DIY-renovated the house years before we bought it — which should've been the first red flag — didn't install the shower correctly. As a result, the subfloor has been slowly rotting away for eight years, and now we'll foot the massive bill to fix it all.

author laying on his back in a dirt crawlspace under house with text saying that he's hanging out with the resident flesh-eating spiders
Ross Yoder

Maybe the sheer cost of regular maintenance is something you weren't prepared for, and you're strapped for cash because of it. Yeah, your monthly payment is technically less than the rent at your old place. But the little things that were effectively included in your rent, like service calls on appliances and landscaping, are adding up.

people doing work outside a house on two ladders, looking at the roof
Hill Street Studios / Getty Images

Perhaps you learned the permanence of buying a home the hard way; when you got the job offer of your dreams from a company in a different state, you thought things would be as simple as selling your home and packing up the moving truck. But months later, you've doubled your monthly housing costs to rent while you patiently wait for the old place to sell.

for sale sign in front of a large house
Phillip Spears / Getty Images

Or maybe you just miss the carefree life you had as a renter. Gone are your weekends of fun activities and exploring new places. Instead, you're in your lawn-mowing, leaf-raking, snow-shoveling era so you don't end up with a nasty email from your HOA — or judgmental neighbors.

mother with a child in a baby carrier shoveling the snow outside of a townhouse in a snowstorm
Christopher Kimmel / Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

No matter your experience, I want to hear your "I quit renting for this?" moment, even if you eventually came out on the other side regret-free. Whether it was the most temporary loss of faith or an experience that made you go back to renting altogether, tell me about your experience in the comments below or through this anonymous form, and your story could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post.