Feelings about house when you bought it vs. reality

[Anonymous]

I liked my house for maybe 5 years, even though there was a long list of issues that we had to tackle in that time. From years 6-10, I have been pretty indifferent -- it's fine, but I wouldn't mind moving to something else that better suits us at this point in time with different priorities than we had 10 years ago. But moving is a pain, and we're not in any particular rush.

[Anonymous]

Not so much the house but the neighborhood we moved into. Seemed nice enough a few years ago but crime and quality of life have gotten far worse and we've repeatedly struck out in the DCPS lottery, and now we probably have to move.

(You can probably guess which DC neighborhood, there's a whole other thread on one of the other boards.)

[Anonymous]

Really wish I had forced the sellers to leave a slush fund for repairs in escrow. So many things they didn’t cite in the disclosure have been bigger issues than I thought the would be.

[Anonymous]

We bought in a tough market and bid on the best house available at the time. It took a long time for me to actually like the house though. Some parts of it I still hate. Plus we were impressed with how well maintained it was, but let's just say we didn't/couldn't look close enough; not that it would have mattered in that market.

But we are still here 20+ years later and it is the house where we raised our family, so it is full of love and memories (ugly banister be damned).

[Anonymous]

We moved from a 1BR apartment to a SFH in one of the few decently affordable areas that were not way out in the burbs. This was in 2016, and we were able to lock in a sub-4% rate. We were getting loans approved for $500K+ houses, but we ended up getting a modest house that cost way less that we knew needed work, but it was a great location. Unfortunately it's an older house that needed a LOT of updates, and then we also found some surprises. We've been slowly updating it as we have the funds to do so. So, I would say that if we had known what interest rates were going to do, we would have bought more house where everything was renovated to avoid the hassle and expense of repairs .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the emotion fades with time. Buying a house is emotional; living in a house is just life.

But it can be fun, especially initially, and I still like my house.

It may be just life, but when I get back from a few weeks on the road - business or vacation - it's really comfortable. Home.

[Anonymous]

We bought a foreclosed, 100 year old house in a nice neighborhood in our 20s and it looked fine to our untrained eyes. We had absolutely no idea how much money we would have to pour into this house to make it livable (crumbling plumbing, ancient electrical, roof leaking, windows painted shut, and so on.) Both sets of parents were appalled that we bought this house and thought we should have stretched our budget to get a newer and nicer house.
But nowadays these houses get snapped up by flippers within a day. So we as a young couple wouldn't be able to buy in this neighborhood at all.
For the first few years I was sick to my stomach that we had bought such a dump. Now I like this house because everything in it was selected by me.

[Anonymous]

If you decide that you were going to make the house your home, and fill it with things you love, people, you love, and memories, then you become more attached to the house. That assumes that nothing catastrophic goes wrong with the house, but like in life, it will need some attention and care and maintenance. You get to know the house and all its pluses and minuses. If you have kids, you will write their heights on the wall and have a lot of memories tied up with your family. Look at it like a relationship, where you go from that first new being in love, feeling to a deeper and more sustainable feeling of love and attachment.

[Anonymous]

I was really excited to have a bathroom on the main floor, but after living with it realize that there was a reason it was a closet (it opens to living room). There are many things that you just notice more once you've lived with it

[Anonymous]

I had major buyer's remorse for the first couple of years because we bought a small-ish house and spent less than we could afford. The neighborhood was and is fantastic, though. I do sometimes wish we had bought a bigger house, but then my mortgage payment would have been way bigger and I would have less flexibility in my life overall.

I started getting happy with the house when we spent money on furniture and decor that really fit the space. In a smaller house, the size and scale of the furniture really matters a lot. Now I'm very happy with it.

My advice - don't compromise on neighborhood and save money to decorate the new house.

[Anonymous]

Renovations are ALWAYS more expensive than you anticipate. Don’t buy a “meh” house thinking you can redo multiple bathrooms and the kitchen for $50k. Only buy it if you realistically have twice what you expect to spend for reno, or are willing to live with it for a long time with limited work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really wish I had forced the sellers to leave a slush fund for repairs in escrow. So many things they didn’t cite in the disclosure have been bigger issues than I thought the would be.

I've never heard of this. For unspecified future repairs? Why not just offer a lower price?

[Anonymous]

I never let myself get to attached to any house, even my current one that we've lived in 20+ years. . I think it is because of my dysfunctional FOO. It wasn't until my parents died a few years ago that I stopped thinking I might move back to live near them someday. I'm starting to gradually make it my own now.

[Anonymous]

For me it’s been up and down. Initially lots of excitement, then some mild freakouts as you move in and learn what the house is really about. Then more falling in love as you settle in and put your mark on it through decorating or reno projects. Now, 5 years later, I’m smitten.

[Anonymous]

We bought in May 2020. The house needed a lot of cosmetic work, was in a different town that required different schools for our kids, further out, not close to much. It was an extremely stressful move and a big adjustment, plus lots of work to get the house to a good state. I didn't feel like it was home for the first year or so.

Four years later, comps are going for 400k more than what we purchased for. We love our neighbors, kids are thriving in school, and I'm so happy with our new town. Life isn't perfect but I don't regret the purchase.