Buying a place to live can be stressful, especially if it's your first time. Whether it's finding proper insurance, getting much-needed maintenance done, or planning for future upgrades, there are so many unknowns and things to worry about.
To figure out the biggest and most common complaints about the whole process, Reddit user Californiabred made a post on the platform, asking: "Homeowners who bought recently, what's your biggest regret?" Immediately, people from all over the world started sending in their answers.
#1
Don't bother childproofing your home. They still get in.
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156points
#2
Not recent, but I still regret not refinishing the floors before I moved in. I'll never do it now.
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94points
A survey of 2,000 recent homebuyers – 44% of whom purchased their current property in 2021 and 56% of whom bought in 2022 – might help us to put these stories into context.
The most common repairs these people had to get were related to plumbing (35%), HVAC (34%), and electrical wiring (33%) issues. Luckily, when asked if they feel prepared to take on unexpected home repair costs up to $1,000, approximately four in five (81%) respondents answered yes, while just 19% said no.
#3
I bought a house from a contractor that flips homes. Never again.
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88points
#4
Bought about 3 years ago.
Biggest regret was rushing to buy Furniture.
Wish I took my time and bought pieces when I could afford something nice.
Now I have s****y couches I despise.
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83points
Still, buying a home is one of the biggest investments most people make, so it's no wonder that many new homeowners report feeling stressed at some point.
In fact, 83% of those surveyed have experienced homeowner anxiety, and 69% also admitted that they've had buyer's remorse, while 33% revealed they experience such feelings regularly.
#5
Hiring the wrong home inspector they missed so much,I really have to wonder if all those reviews were bought and paid for.
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81points
#6
Not knowing enough about the area/town.
I hate where we live ☹️ hoping we can move by the time my oldest starts kindergarten
I hate where we live ☹️ hoping we can move by the time my oldest starts kindergarten
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74points
Even if they feel financially stable after purchasing a home, many new owners say they are worried about the safety and security of their property:
- 59% worry about home break-ins;
- 52% worry about home fires;
- 49% worry about home flooding;
- 37% worry about earthquake damage.
So I guess the added freedom of having your own place comes with new worries in one form or the other.
#8
Be shameless enough to perform your own base level of inspection of a house so you don’t have to rely on what an inspector finds or get in a situation where you have to make an offer regardless of what the inspection finds.
Turn all the faucets on and run the dishwasher. Start the washer machine for a second. Figure out if there is any water pressure issue.
Bring a multi line laser and a tape measure. Check for any significant changes in slope on the foundation for some settling issues.
Pay attention to the downspouts. Do they terminate right at the house or do they have longer pipes that lead the water away?
Pay attention to the flooring and create a rough estimate of what it will cost to immediately replace the flooring. Way easier to do when you don’t have a house full of furniture and can do it right before you move in.
On the financial side you need to talk with multiple lenders at all times and make sure they continue to give you the most up to date closing costs. There were a lot of sneaky numbers that made there way in that I was unaware of as a first time home buyer.
Until that mortgage lender gives you the locked in rate don’t trust them as to what number they are currently telling you.
Discover your maximum mortgage rate + escrow and work backwards as to the maximum house you can afford. Don’t buy based on the pipe dream of refinancing.
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67points
#9
I’m in awe of anybody that was recently able to buy a house.
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66points
#10
I regret not having the inside painted and the carpet replaced before we moved in. Been here two years and it never felt like “my home” until I got rid of the stains of those who came before.
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57points
#12
Not doing a walk through before closing and not having the sellers fix the electric before I signed the contract. My two biggest regrets.
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52points
#13
I have no regrets. Buying property is never a bad idea unless you can't afford the monthly payment. It beats paying rent that increases every year and you get nothing in return for it. You can always refinance, but you can never change the purchase price, so you win some you lose some at either end of things.
I guess I wish I had more money to hire people to fix things so I didn't have to do it myself. But that's just how it is sometimes.
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50points
#15
I bought a few years ago. So many things have gone sideways. One thing I regret is not being educated about permits. Contractors/handymen/ anyone who works on your house really, never mentions a permit may be needed.
Learned that it’s up to me and me alone to do the research and phone calls. Currently have a job on hold because they needed a permit. The company blamed me and now I’m not sure they’re even going to do the work.
Watch the movie The Money Pit. It’s not that far off. Some days I wish I’d just be a renter.
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43points
#16
The inspector told us the main drain in the basement was clogged. We thought it was clogged with something normal. It was, in fact, "clogged" with cement from when our basement floor was redone. So now our basement regularly gets standing water on one side.
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40points
#17
The situation when you bought a house where it was possible and a month later they sell a house in the area where you wanted
38points
#18
I should have bought a smaller house with money left to renovate instead of a larger one with nothing left over. There are so many weird quirks with this place that I would love to change but I’ll probably have to wait 10 years. I’m doing all the changes that I can do myself but there’s just so many to do and some are way outside my knowledge base.
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37points
#19
I sat on my a*s for too long and missed out on the lower price and incredible interest. The house I bought for 465k was 350k in 2019.
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36points
#20
I bought a lemon of a house. Turned out that it needed new wiring, plumbing, and structural support. The inspector (friends with the real estate agent I found out) didn't have any concerns about the house.
I ended up short selling it for a $15,000 loss.
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34points