How many of you regretted buying your house?

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Brichals@reddit

I love my house. I regret neglecting the garden for the first 5 years and I still haven't fixed hardly any of the niggling issues I inherited. It's quite overwhelming in general.

If you don't like your house really then actually it's not your house, it's the bank's. You have an appreciating asset stake in it. You haven't lost anything.

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Pristine_Weight7850@reddit

Young movers often forget how much work there is in a house, even one that is "move-ready"

All of my single male friends in their 30s who have moved at still thinking about painting the walls; mending wobbly doors; things that don't need mending but costs money etc. It's never ending.

Couples usually are more motivated and get to fully decorated earlier- efforts typically led by the female partner

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I think everyone gets a bit of buyers regret. Once you move in you notice all the things you didn’t know or focus on before - the fixtures done poorly, the bodge jobs, the “stuff that needs fixing but isn’t an emergency but also is kind of an issue and is going to cost a lot”, the neighbours, the commute, the garden….

But over time I think most people do adjust and find ways to enjoy it.

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MelodicPreparation93@reddit

Agreed. I was having very similar feelings, but you kind of learn to be okay with it and that you really have all the time in the world to get round to those jobs both small and big (unless it's something that desperately needs to be fixed of course).

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Pristine_Weight7850@reddit

Me - who decided to buy a cramped terrace near a High Street and a station: Moan about poor parking (I knew about this); occasional homeless wandering too close to home; flytipping on the conrner.

Friends - who decided to buy semis and bungalows in the suburbs: Moan about equity, moan about parking, moan about no shops nearby;

Nobody can ever be 100% happy; every location naturally presents a downside

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kaja6583@reddit

Definitely! We went through terrible buyers regret, as the property was REALLY well staged for the viewing. Its a victorian property and oh god, at some point it went through the landlord special and the last owners made it literally no improvements in the decade they lived here.

But honestly, after a couple of months we've adjusted and were making it our own and nice until we move to the next one. We've also grown to love things about it.

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capcrunch217@reddit

First one yes, grew to love it after we finished renovations but sold to upsize. I cried on moving day once it was empty and the removals van had left.

Current one I currently regret, but we haven’t got that far on the renovations.

I think until it is truly yours, everything feels a bit foreign and regret is an easy emotion to attach to that.

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InfiniteComedian7172@reddit

Why do you regret it?

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I bought my house due to a separation. Sold the old house i owned with my ex and used the equity to put a deposit down on this. Process was really rushed. Risked collapsing the chain if I didnt find anywhere quick because the buyers kept threatening to pull out if I didnt find somewhere quick. Had zero personal savings due to an abusive relationship so had to start from scratch and didnt have much spare cash a month because I was left living in a house I couldnt afford by myself. Only just managed to scrape enough for searches and a moving van. Equity paid the rest. I didnt have anything else as a back up plan, cant move in with family or friends due to circumstances so couldnt wait for the equity to come through to wait off and look properly or rent temporarily. It was a lot of pressure to find somewhere quick, I wish I'd of had more time to look properly, check out the houses properly, have more than one viewing to make sure i wanted to buy. House was a state upon getting the keys. It looked nice during the viewing but I viewed it once and couldnt view again due to moving back to my home town and it was too far to travel. Its not in an area I wanted to move to either. Lots of issues I didnt realise now need sorting and I just dont think this house is for me. Its nice but theres a deep feeling of regret.

I wish I had more time. Less pressure. And checked over the house properly before deciding to purchase. There wasnt much on the market when I was looking either and didn't have much option to wait.

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cmpthepirate@reddit

I hated my place when I moved in. Then I got a puppy and didn't have time to think about it anymore 🙃

In all seriousness over a few months I did manage to get it into a state I was ok with. I can't say I love it, but I do like having my space.

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asterallt@reddit

New paint, no matter how scrappily applied, can do wonders. Plus some furniture that makes it feel like your sanctuary. Not talking going mad - a second hand armchair next to a window that gets the sun, little table next to it. Find a couple of your favourite books that make you feel warm and leave them out. Get some cheap cushions and blankets from the Range (I don’t really like the Range but it serves a purpose). Dunelm lamps - can get them for a fiver or so, add soft lighting which makes a place feel warmer. Couple of cheap plants. You could do all of that in a weekend and it’ll already feel more like your place. Totally normal to panic about such a big purchase. But you have it now, which is AMAZING - your actual OWN place. So now you can spend the next few weeks and months making it feel like your place, somewhere you want to spend time. Not much you can do about the area but if you can get to a point where when you shut the front door, you feel comfortable, you’ll probably have fewer regrets about the purchase. Good luck. And hope you have a better time of it post separation. Sounds like you’ve had a hell of a horrible time so I wish you all the best.

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EssentialParadox@reddit

I’m not sure how you had the money to buy a house and carry out searches and fees but couldn’t afford to rent.

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No_Obligation_6728@reddit

Do some diy, add some colour, makenit yours. Make it the house you want, you'll feel alot better

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No_Obligation_6728@reddit

You can msg me any diy related queries and I'll try my best to direct you. I moved in to 2 properties both needing alot of work, but did so to save money and learn some new skills

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Special_Turnover1961@reddit

Same I’d also like to know?

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Just replied to the original comment.

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Special_Turnover1961@reddit

Thank you, it’s great to know how important it is to do multiple viewings, also paying attention to the local area, which can be difficult to gauge tbh if you don’t spend a good few days there, so can’t really blame yourself or anyone for that.

Hope all works out, either be it you improve the current one or end up relocating.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Id definitely do multiple viewings next time. Check the area more, see if theres anything I could pick up. Id also check and inspect the house a lot more, check all windows, behind furniture, all doors internal and external. Ask to see the house in day light as well, i went in winter after 5pm so theyd made it look really cosy with the lamps. It probably hide a lot as well. Thankfully next time id have more time to think about things and wait.

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Swiftt@reddit

I don't regret it, but I have shifted my thinking into no longer viewing it as my forever home. Instead, it's a stepping stone in my life.

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TroublesZoo@reddit

Sold it after a couple of years and moved to one I did end up loving. If I had been renting during that time the money would simply be lost, but instead I was building up equity in an appreciating asset with my monthly mortgage payments, so no regrets there.

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Ok_Wrap5233@reddit

Not really. In the first 3 years only about 15% of your mortgage payment goes in to paying the principle debt, the rest is servicing the interest. Any equity you did build up in the house over that time would be eaten up by the cost of selling it.

In that situation you’d have been much better off renting for a number of reasons.

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grumpyaskate@reddit

Except the house price may have gone up in that time, plus any work done to improve the house may have also increased its value..

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Ok_Wrap5233@reddit

In the last 5 years by about 1% a year. Not a shrewd financial decision at all. I get they’re trying to find a silver lining, but they’d be better off accepting this was a mistake.

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pbroingu@reddit

they’d be better off accepting this was a mistake

You don't have enough information to say this. If they bought before the COVID boom and upgraded when interest rates were low, it's possible it was better than renting. I would say on average, renting is better than buying on a 2 year timescale though (due to SDLT, FTB benefits if applicable, moving costs, interest rates etc)

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Ok_Wrap5233@reddit

It’s common sense. In two years he’s incurred the cost of buying a property twice, selling a property once and moving twice. He’s also in a chain now, being chain free is the second strongest negotiating position to be in after being a cash buyer.

The information I do have is that their basis for it not being a bad decision was that they have been increasing the equity in the property, which they haven’t, because about 85% of their mortgage payment is paying interest. Meaning if their mortgage is £1000 a month for example, the equity has increased by just 3 grand in two years. Barely enough to cover one lot of conveyancing and surveys.

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pbroingu@reddit

I don't really wanna go down this rabbit hole, but they did mention that they bought an appreciating asset. To use an extreme example, maybe they bought a £450k property and it's now worth £480k. I know that this is unlikely but it's totally possible to be quids up after 2 years due to luck timing the market, even when you adjust for all the costs you listed.

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Ok_Wrap5233@reddit

People automatically describe houses as appreciating assets. They’re not always and you only benefit from the appreciation if you’re cashing out. If you’re buying another house then that house has been an appreciating asset in that time too. It’s not like only your house goes up in value, so really they’re not making anything at all and have just incurred addition costs by buying and selling 3 times in two years.

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pbroingu@reddit

We are talking about the opportunity cost of renting Vs buying, so the assets increasing in value over 2 years is definitely relevant.

The next house gets more expensive regardless of whether OP rents for 2 years or buys a flat first. It's better to be sitting on an appreciating asset than renting in that particular scenario.

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grumpyaskate@reddit

They say they have no regrets and it was an appreciating asset so I'm presuming it was a good financial decision for them. You're applying a generalisation to a specific person's experience, their house could have increased in value much more than 2-3%, they also could have overpaid their mortgage which again would be increasing equity and allow them better LTV in their next place.

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MegaM1lls@reddit

My house went up about 20 grand in the first 2 years of owning it, and sold it for 37 grand more than I bought it for in 6 years. Now I have 65 grand after fees to put into the next house I’m buying.

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Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit

Except if you are up sizing the next house would have gone up by more.

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MegaM1lls@reddit

Apples and oranges, all depends really. I’ve moved to a different area where houses are cheaper. Still the best decision I’ve ever done was buy a house soon as I could when I was younger.

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Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit

I agree buying a house as soon as possible is ideal, but for most people you would want house prices to stay static, so that you neither lose equity or your upsize doesn't increase in price faster than your current place. Most people when doing that won't be moving to a much cheaper area, but you are right if the next you are buying is cheaper than price rises are beneficial.

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DrHenryWu@reddit

I wonder how long this can go on now that the era of cheap lending is over. I doubt we'll see anything like the same growth of the last few decades now interest rates will be high for a long time

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eljim1@reddit

Nae chance

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

First couple of years your payment is mostly going towards the interest, not the principle. I can’t imagine much equity would have been built or the house price increased that much? Lost your first time buyer benefit too.

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Puzzled-Barnacle-200@reddit

In a 30 year mortgage about 1/3rd of the monthly payment goes towards equity. So it's not insignificant. Plus the mortgage is usually cheaper than rent for the same property.

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

Mortgage is cheaper than rent for the same property normally but people don’t normally rent the same type of properties. I’d happily rent a 1 bed flat/house but would never buy one for example.

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Organic_Reporter@reddit

Rent is cheaper on the current and previous houses we rented, than the equivalent mortgage would be. But that's only because of the house value and interest rates. 10-15 years ago this probably wasn't the case. We currently pay £1250 rent on a house that's worth about £350-400k. We're in the process of buying for £270k with a mortgage payment of £1450 (only 23 years though). Rent on the nearest similar property we could find is £1300.

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yes1402@reddit

Extend your years of payment, and add more to the deposit. And your mortgage will be cheaper than your rent

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Imaginary_Lock1938@reddit

is that how people who would otherwise keep that money in 0% bank account think?

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Narrow-Device-3679@reddit

See me: 39 year mortgage, £500/month.

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Bacon4Lyf@reddit

It’s a grand to rent a 1 bed flat around me or a mortgage Of 650. Which is why I’m skipping renting entirely

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

My mortgage on a 3 bed house is less than my rent was on a studio flat

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Medical-Fox2471@reddit

The mortgage on my 3 bedroom house is cheaper than a 1 bedroom flat in the same area

It’s just slightly more expensive than a house share actually

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TawnyTeaTowel@reddit

Plus all the legal fees, stamp duty, moving costs etc…

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damo9420@reddit

They are referring to the appreciation of the asset being the house. Not paying down the capital of the mortgage.

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

“building up equity in an appreciating asset” in just a couple years you would be building up minimal amounts of equity due to how mortgages are structured and not much appreciation in that timeframe I imagine.

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Grom_a_Llama@reddit

Bro i have 160k in equity and next week will be 3 years.

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GiGGLED420@reddit

Seems like you’re trying to be picky for no reason, and you’re still incorrect if you factor in the appreciation of the asset.

Even if you don’t pay anything in principal, you still build equity as a percentage.

If you buy a £100k house with 50% deposit and it doubles in price, your equity will then build up from 50% to 75%

Also bear in mind that mortgages are typically lower than rent for an equivalent property. But if they were the same, you’d still be much better off with some equity building, vs renting.

If it’s £1k per month mortgage vs rent and assuming £300 of the mortgage goes to the principal, after a year you’d have built £3600 vs nothing for renting, and that’s excluding any asset appreciation.

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

I am well aware how capital appreciation works. Now show me a house that has not had significant investment put into it double in price over a couple years.

This also completely ignores the concept of opportunity cost, where my deposit could have been earning interest or returns in an investment account, where I would likely see a higher return than housing.

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GiGGLED420@reddit

It doesn’t sound like it. And sure the doubling is just an example figure, realistically it won’t be that simple. What I’m highlighting is that the equity is growing regardless of the principal contribution.

Yea sure you could invest the deposit, but you also ignore the fact that housing is essentially a leveraged trade. Any appreciation in the house price is multiplied by the ratio you leveraged at. Sure it goes the other way too, but the discussion is currently around an appreciating asset.

I definitely would not have beaten the equity increase after fees even if I invested my deposit in the S&P when it was low last year.

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yes1402@reddit

And that poster ignored the fact that the value of the investment in markets can go down as well as up.

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eljim1@reddit

What's the point in this comment?

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Think_Money_6919@reddit

Because it suggests that buying a house for a couple years to sell on again is a good financial decision when it is likely not unless you’re doing a full refurb or something yourself during that time.

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OrangeBeast01@reddit

They were opposing it to renting, though. Only they know the figures involved (stamp duty, renovations, mortgage vs rent in their area etc) but from my own experiences of hiw ridiculous appreciation can be in a short space of time, and how ridiculously expensive renting is, I can fully believe they were better off than if they stayed and rented.

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shizzler@reddit

Not to mention stamp duty, which easily makes it not worth it if you're buying in the southeast.

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oktimeforplanz@reddit

I've owned my house for 3 years and most of my equity has come from house price appreciation.

Obviously the best measure is if I actually sell it, but Nationwide thinks I've gone from a 95% LTV down to 79% in that time, while the debt itself has only reduced by a bit over 5%.

The houses on my street and nearby that are nearly the same are selling for similar amounts to Nationwide's estimates so it seems it's not an unreasonable estimate.

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Constant_Toe_8604@reddit

What about stamp duty and transaction fees?

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Exchangenudes_4_Joke@reddit

Surely the cost is selling that house and buying the new one would more than negate and capital repayment? Stamp duty, EA fees, solicitors fees, survey, moving costs.

Obviously still the right move if you didn't like the house but financially a bit of a hit I'd have thought

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Can i ask what made you hate your old property? Was it just a gut feeling?

I know in a better position because the mortgage is lower than renting a month, so i can pop the difference to once side.

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Think_Preference_611@reddit

I regretted buying a house for a single man and not long after needing a house to raise a family in!

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Temporary-Zebra97@reddit

Kind of a love hate relationship with current house, hate it when it throws a large bill in my direction, love the space, the storage, the massive garden and how my nearest neighbour is half a mile away.

I would move every 2-3 years if I could but stamp duty kind of kills that frequency.

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pgnlzbth@reddit

Why do you regret it - what’s wrong? I have only bought two in my lifetime and I love(d) them both.

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Bose82@reddit

My first house, yes. It's called buyers remorse, you get over it

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basiq88@reddit

I regret the giant mortgage. It’s soul destroying.

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NightBroad2639@reddit

Regretted buying my house pretty much as soon as we moved in and I took a closer look at it. I was naive and circumstances meant we didn’t pay attention to the red flags. Tried to live with it, fix things etc, but two years in I sat my husband down and said we should move. It was making me depressed. We are now in the right house for us and feeling so much better about things.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I feel like ive done the same thing. Theres lots of things id definitely take from this into my next home purchase and id be checking so much more.

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NightBroad2639@reddit

Yep. It was definitely a lesson!

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holdingtea@reddit

My house was in fairly poor condition being poorly treated ex rented one. The road we live on is decent enough and the area isn't anything special (the type of place people often go - oh i actually dont mind x, or its not as bad as people say) but i'm also 10min walk from a load of lovely parks and 25mins walk into town..

I don't plan on living here forever but we spruced it up (mostly cosmetically) and made the garden full of life instead of paving slabs and it will do us well until we can move to a better house.

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English0ak@reddit

Mortgage is way cheaper than renting. Plus you'll have something to pass down to your kids.

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snot_in_a_jar@reddit

Me and I haven't even moved in yet. The wife wanted something bigger and was very expensive compared to what we live in now. We can afford it, but I fear the hike in bills will come at a severe detriment, plus I feel very exposed in these turbulent times.

Wish I'd just put my foot down.

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Away-Organization630@reddit

I hate how labour intensive it is completing renovations and maintaining a house is a way bigger burden than anyone seems to talk about even when it comes to day to day chores etc, but ultimately no as it does build some wealth (hopefully) and for me my mortgage is half the price rent in the area would be.

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jack5624@reddit

I didn’t regret buying my flat till I wanted to move. Bought a flat 4 years ago and spent £12k on it. I It’s now worth a tiny bit more than what I paid for it, even with the renovations, but to sell it I need to extend the lease costing £5k. Which means I would be down about £10-15 if I sold.

Decided to just rent out my flat and rent another when I moved as I didn’t know how long I would stay in the new city. Turned out I have to spend another small fortune to rent it. Now I’ve got a tenant but the thing barely makes any money.

Not sure what to do with the place, it’s a bit of a nose around my neck now. I wish I just rented and never bought it. My advice to people is to NEVER buy a flat. I’m lucky and I don’t have the cladding issue.

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TomLondra@reddit

Probably most of the people who buy houses in the UK are only doing so because they have been persuaded by Thatcherite propaganda about "a nation of property owners". It isn't until later on that they find out the horrible truth and that what they really needed was good council housing.

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Moron-with-a-drill@reddit

Ideally, I agree. However, my reality was that as a single bloke with no kids, it would have taken decades before I was offered a tiny flat, surrounded by smack-heads.

Also, getting hit with a 43% rent increase on my private rental flat pushed me into skinting myself to be able to afford a run-down terraced house which will likely take me decades to bring up to scratch, due to having to spend my savings on living expenses, due to near-constant short-term contract employment!

Phew! In short, I don't "regret" it but I'd prefer to be giving my money to a social landlord, for a maintained property and environment.

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TomLondra@reddit

as a single bloke with no kids I waited 14 years and got a lovely flat surrounded by the best people in the world

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Moron-with-a-drill@reddit

Damn fine news mate! 😊

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REALQWERTY11309@reddit

HA! Where did you dream up the idea of council houses being good?

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TomLondra@reddit

I know where you got the idea of council houses being bad- because you are a child of Thatcher, and you have been taught to think that. If you saw my beautiful council flat, on a nice estate in a very good location, and if I told you how much my rent is and how repairs are done by the council, that I have no mortgage to pay off, no service charges, and that none of this is subsidised because council housing has been paying for itself again and again over the years, you would be apoplectic.

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REALQWERTY11309@reddit

Both myself and my partner grew up in and out of different ones. Not one has ever been well built, some weren't even fit for life.

And will people please piss off about thatcher, if anyone old enough to remember her actually got their shit together this country wouldn't be ran by nonces and twats.

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TomLondra@reddit

they did get their shit together BEFORE thatcher. It was together. THen she told everyone that housing is a commodity and the cost of it must be decided by market forces.

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BobMonroeFanClub@reddit

I've been very lucky. Was on the waiting list for four years but finally got a place surrounded by pensioners and repairs get done pretty quickly.

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Moron-with-a-drill@reddit

Good on you Matey - genuinely glad someone has had some luck with it.

I grew-up on a council estate, my folks still live there and I couldn't afford to buy one of the owned houses there now. 99% of people there would give you their last penny if needs be - not something I've experienced elsewhere. Sadly, it's the classic case of little being done about the other 1%.

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SnooStrawberries2342@reddit

"what they really needed", rather than what they got.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Good council housing? Im yet to meet anyone who has a positive experience with council houses.

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TomLondra@reddit

You should see mine. You'd be jealous

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Infernode5@reddit

It's nice not to have to worry about housing costs in retirement, I hope your financial planning includes projected rental costs in xx years.

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

Pal of mine approaching 86 has sold everything apart from his armchair, tv, a side table, bed and wardrobe, clothes, small fridge and a microwave, switched off the boiler just to try and keep up with rent because he doesn't want to end up in a home prematurely. It's fucking grim

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TomLondra@reddit

If he was a homeowner they would take that away to pay for his care home fees

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12Keisuke@reddit

council housing no thanks

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Holiday-Coconut-9303@reddit

only doing so because they have been persuaded by Thatcherite propaganda about "a nation of property owners"

This is a little silly. We bought a house because it's DRASTICALLY cheaper than renting. I agree that social housing is exactly what we need so so so much more of tho.

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KingGeedo91@reddit

Or maybe a more realistic take - they don’t want to throw away money on rent anymore

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Mr_A_UserName@reddit

Aye, they're investing in their future by paying off their own mortgage rather than someone else's. It'd be great to get to 65-70 or whatever and not have to work full-time, I dread the thought of having to do that, tbh.

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Opposite_Radio9388@reddit

I'm very grateful to have been able to buy a flat. Many will never be in the same position. The closest I've got to regret has been the stress of handling repairs and upgrades. I miss having someone else be responsible for all of that.

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Hefty-Egg3406@reddit

It’s just taken my landlord 6 weeks to get someone to come out and look at the dishwasher. The problem still isn’t fixed.

Can confirm it’s less stress being responsible for it yourself.

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Sea_Appearance6837@reddit

I’ll take handwashing my own dishes over major repair bills on a property I own, I don’t think the stress compares haha.

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Particular_Good_8682@reddit

You wont be saying that when you retire, can't make rent and are forced to move into an oap home early. Fuck that

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Sea_Appearance6837@reddit

I didn’t say I’d rather go back to renting lmao. It was a direct comparison between the two issues, seemed funny that their example was a dishwasher

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Hefty-Egg3406@reddit

“Seemed funny”. Going back and forth for months over a dishwasher isn’t funny. I need a dishwasher as I have a disability which makes handwashing difficult.

I wasn’t going to list out every issue that exists, it was if it’s this difficult over an easy replacement - imagine the nightmare of the rest. People aren’t incentivised when they personally aren’t affected.

Gotta remember that I am paying their mortgage + profit.

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

Well you get surveys done prior to buying so you'll know what, if any "major" repairs are needed, lots of the scary stuff, and even accidental damage is usually covered by your insurance anyway.

It's not stressful, particularly.

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Sea_Appearance6837@reddit

I was just directly comparing the two issues as that user gave waiting for a dishwasher as an example. I wasn’t calling into question the worth of owning your own home over renting.

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

Ahh I see

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Ok_Shirt983@reddit

I lived in a flat for a couple of years where the boiler would break at least every couple of months, the landlord would send his handyman round who would bodge it and say it really needs replacing but the landlord has only authorised a repair. It was a nightmare going without hot water all the time. I found out from my lovely neighbours that the landlord lived in new Zealand so no real recourse for me to have any meaning contact let alone get things sorted.

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BareKnuckle18@reddit

I bought my house in a historic high mortgage rate period of August 2024, which means - you guessed it, its up for renewal in August 2026 - looking to be another historic high interest period.

I've hated renting my whole life, been no fault evicted TWICE. Glad that the law has changed, but now seeing articles that renting is cheaper than buying in some areas of the country, with the worst affected area of imbalance being the one I live in.

Despite all that, no I don't regret it.

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yaaaaasitshayden@reddit

Managed to buy my own house at 26 earning less than half of what I do now (I'm 32 now). Its a old 1930s pit house in a not great, but getting better area. All the expensive rooms (kitchen, bathroom) are in need of serious modernisation, there's a leak in a corner of the roof that I've had someone out twice to look at and I'm pretty sure its still leaking, an ex owner grew weed in the loft so that was an absolute shit show when I moved in etc etc. The cost is never ending and I'm slowly running out of steam to modernise and renovate it. At the same time though, the mortgage and bills cost peanuts. Do I regret buying it? Sometimes, mainly when something goes wrong or the neighbour is making a racket through the wall. Would I buy it now, being the age I am and earning that little bit more? No.

It's pros and cons really, I'm glad to read through other people's comments and realise it's quite a common occurance!

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Lynvor@reddit

The house is great but I regret the area, it's currently on the market and I am looking to move

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I think there's so much criticism that we should be thankful we've managed to buy a property and should have any issues or dislikes towards it. Just because we've bought it we have to automatically be thankful.

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Gold-Creme-9597@reddit

When did you move in?
I think timing is everything, when I first moved I hated it and was overwhelmed by work. I've been here a decade now and bit by bit done everything and made it mine.

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Lau_kaa@reddit

When we first moved into our current house, I had huge regret. We moved from a city to a rural village and it was a big culture shock, and in those first few weeks I would have jumped at the chance to move back to the old house.

I love it here now.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I moved back to my home town. So thats a huge shock as I haven't lived here in years. What made you change your mind?

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Lau_kaa@reddit

Time, getting to know people locally, not looking at the old house through rose-tinted glasses, appreciating the slower pace of life. I grew up in a (different) village and I'd forgotten what it's like living somewhere where everyone knows you.

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terryturbojr@reddit

Same here. London to rural.

Except years later I'd still move back in a heartbeat.

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Used-Ad9589@reddit

Not passionate about our house but yes not dead money/rent.

Mainly because of the headaches I have discovered with time, EV charger install, drive isn't next to the house but around the corner (corner house), makes it a lot more complicated, Consumer Unit is under the stairs, they don't like fitting batteries under emergency escape routes, so we have had to had extra cabling and it put in the cupboard in front of the main door) stairs... Expensive alteration, quality control issues from sloppy builders, etc etc.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Have you decided to stay in your house even though you regret it or do you plan to sell eventually?

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Used-Ad9589@reddit

Staying. I gripe but it's warm, and we are slowly doing modifications (have solar, batteries need installing still, EV charger went to crap yesterday as they didn't come out with the stand or EV Block... fun), new kitchen, bathroom upstairs is mostly done (needs floor tiling) downstairs needs cupboard finishing and I might just replace the toilet for the sake of it as we have had it 12 years and my wife has made it SUFFER

Until they come back and finish the EV install I have a moat (had to dig a trench from the DNO cabinet to where I wanted in the middle area in front of the double drive for the cable to be dropped in).

Will get there

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danddersson@reddit

Buyers remorse is common with any large purchase.

However good the house is, there is always the thought that you ould have done better. You may find bad things about the house you have just bought: but you don't discover these in the houses you DIDN'T buy, so thet remains perfect.

I/we had remorse about our current house, bought 9 years ago. Now, we would not change it.

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roxieh@reddit

Very common. I didn't regret my first house. My second house I couldn't regret because it was all I could afford but I certainly didn't love it. Took time to come to terms with it and I'm getting there now. I'd still much rather have this house than no house. And renting can get in the bin.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

My house is one I can afford , options are very limited as a solo buyer. I deeply regret buying this house but in hoping the feeling fades. Its cheaper than renting so thats a silver lining.

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davus_maximus@reddit

You haven't explained in any response why you regret the house. Your options were limited and I'm sorry to hear about your abusive circumstances leading to a rushed decision, but time was short and you secured somewhere. What's actually wrong with the place? What don't you like about it? Are they really things you can't resolve?

No house is perfect the second you move in, unless you're outrageously rich and got contractors to renovate every inch to your tastes.

"It's not for me" isn't doing anything to explain tbh.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Its needs a lot of work that wasnt visible when I viewed it due to furniture being in the way. Lots of hidden mould and damp. Hasnt been looked after. No central heating downstairs, just a log burner. Was absolutely filthy. Lots of rubbish left. So it made the experience feel a bit shit when i got the keys. Rushing into buying i couldnt wait off to see what came on the market so it felt like a rushed unthought decision. I needed a home, this ticked most boxes. I felt like I didnt have the time to think about anything else. Missing building regs brought up red flags during the searches but id already paid and didnt have the time or money to pull out. Because if this i didnt have the money to go into rented. Its not in an area id of chosen either. I would have preferred being closer to family since none of us drive.

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ed-with-a-big-butt@reddit

So why do you regret it?

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I regret buying a house that I rushed into without having the time to assess what actually needed doing to it. I walked in and it was filthy, theyd left loads of stuff, lots of things need repair that weren't visible due to furniture, covered in mould and damp that wasnt visible due to furniture. Because I had to move quick, I couldnt wait for a house to come up in an area I wanted to live so its not an area I wanted it to be. Its nice but needs lots of work. Not something I would have picked if id of had the choice. Lots of things poped up in the searches like missing building regs for the loft that brought up red flags but I didnt have the time or money to pull out. Wish id of viewed it more than once as well.

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roxieh@reddit

What do you regret about it?

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FeDUpGraduate87@reddit

Love it. Moved in it nearly 10 years, paid mortgage off last year. Huge weight off my shoulders.... feeling damn good!

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jaynoj@reddit

After looking online and the housing sub, I didnt realise how common it was for people to regret buying a house.

Misery enjoys company.

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Zs93@reddit

Home buyers remorse is real! Give yourself a year to really try the house out - I ended up loving it and I’ve been here for 4 yrs.

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Competitive-Chest438@reddit

In my second house, absolutely loved both of them!

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hhfugrr3@reddit

A bit. The house is opposite a pub, which was fine when we bought it but after about 10 years they decided to turn the car park into a beer garden and then to put speakers outside. The new landlady is good and keeps the music to a sensible level but in the past there have been problems with incredibly loud music being played at all hours (6am is the earliest it's gone on and 2am the latest it's gone off).

Aside from that though, my house seems to have been owned by a succession of bodgers - nothing seems to have been done quite right in here and it was designed by an idiot. Not one of the room openings is a normal size - the hallway to living room is too big for a single door and too small for a standard double door meaning any door has to be made bespoke. The opening to my office is about 5 inches wider than a standard door so again, nothing off the shelf fits. Also, someone decided making all the openings into arches would be a good idea. Obviously, you can't buy doors that fit arches either.

Mind you, we spent months looking for a house and must have looked at everything that was for sale at the time and this was probably the best of what we saw.

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terryturbojr@reddit

Yes

Still do

Still live here

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FletchLives99@reddit

No. I did spend 3 years wondering if we'd bought in an area that was never going to improve. But I never really regretted it (I still preferred the area).

In retrospect, I might have tried to go 15% higher in price (and bought a bigger house). But there is no guarantee the bank would have lent us that much more.

Anyway, the last 5 years have seen tutbo-gentrication. Everyone who moves in now is much richer than me.

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littlenymphy@reddit

I love my house and loved it immediately, we spent ages looking because we were looking for a forever home so when we finally found one in our budget that suited us it was a relief.

We did end up viewing abut 20 properties before finding this one which is apparently a lot more than the average buyer views.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I had to buy mine in a rush so I regret not having the time to assess the market or view more properties.

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impamiizgraa@reddit

I can’t say I regretted it but I have moments of conflict because I LOVE the house and I love the area actually but the specific demographics of my area are off-putting (inner east London).

I am shamelessly waiting for it to gentrify and push out the HMOs, transients and refuse-to-integrate-into-the-local-community people. Sorry to be blunt, can’t come soon enough!

So sometimes I think “should I have just bought a crapper place in a more established area” but I did try…

My best advice is to be easy on yourself: you did the best you could with the information and resources you had at the time. Change what you can and hopefully the things you can’t change, you’ll come to terms with!

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iElvendork@reddit

I cried for a solid 3 days after we bought our house last year, too much excitement build up and then a crashing reality of how much work we need to do (as the sellers dodgy DIY attempts keep showing).

But, 1 year later and we are making progress, the back garden is less of a jungle and I have a lovely calming bedroom to sleep in (makes up for the rest of the house being very while and sterile!)

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

This is exactly how I feel. The build up of excitement was just met with a load of cleaning and botched diy jobs.

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Nathanial1289@reddit

Yeah. Got the house 10 years ago and overpaid by over £20,000 because we were so desperate to kill of any competition. It had a number of issues but main thing was we didn't get a bigger place.

House was on the market for £260,000 and we paid £285,000. Could have spent the same amount or a little more and got a proper 3-4 bedroom house.

Now we have two children, need a bigger place but prices have gone up so much (especially 3 bedrooms) that we'll have to take out a mortgage basically the same as what we took out before.

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StretchPractical6335@reddit

I was so excited to get the keys after renting for nearly 20 years and thinking I was never going to buy.

I thought id walk in and immediately love it but I was so overwhelmed and thought I’d made a massive mistake.

It lasted a day, as soon as I started to make it my own I realised I loved my little house. I hope you will feel that way too once the emotions have settled a bit.

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FizzyLemonPaper@reddit

Yes, wish I'd paid more notice to the upstairs neighbours, warning signs were there but we were naive. 2 and a half years of nightmare neighbours before they moved, now I worry about who the landlord/owner of upstairs will rent to next.

Will never buy a place with upstairs neighbours ever again.

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Sorry_Leopard9657@reddit

We live in a new-ish build semi. We can hear every impact noise, kids running about, door slamming, dog barking. It's day to day stuff that we don't really have cause to complain about but it's genuinely hell most of the time. I'm convinced it wasnt built properly then I read identical stories and just feel sad. Wouldn't recommend it!

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imnotabotimafreeman@reddit

yeh i regretted buying .mine,i dont mind it now 10yrs on

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

What made you regret it?

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Chilled-Fridge@reddit

If anyone is having major regrets, send me a message and I'll happily excuse you of the problem!

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Basic-Pudding-3627@reddit

I bought mine for the sake of moving away from a bad area. There was no reason to buy the house I did expect that it mostly ticked the boxes.

Regretted it day 1. The house is too close to the pavement. People walk past my kitchen window and we make eye contact quite a few times whilst I am washing dishes!

There is also a very low frequency resonance. So low in frequency that it can only be picked up internally in the ear, not externally.

It was an impulse buy. I am mostly out of the house. I'll move again and be more mindful.

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

Obviously too late now but you can get a stick on screen for windows that folk cant look in

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Basic-Pudding-3627@reddit

I didn't really like having my house so close to the pavement. New build houses are mostly like that. I know what that is like now.

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markhalliday8@reddit

Is it likely that you regret it because you have tons of work to do and do not yet feel comfortable in your new house?

Is it likely that a year from now, when the house looks the way you wanted and you have settled you now prefer it?

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Thats probably a huge factor. The house has a lot of hidden issues that I wasnt aware of until I got the keys. Its never been maintained or looked after properly. Lots of botched DIY jobs that will need sorting.

Hopefully the feeling fades once I start fixing some of the issues.

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markhalliday8@reddit

Honestly, just give it time.

All houses have problems

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AvocadosAtLaw95@reddit

This. I distinctly remember an “oh fuck” moment both times I’ve moved house. What it actually was, was my reaction to such a big change.

Give it time, settle in, make it yours, and after a month or two I’m sure that feeling will settle down.

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Glum_Bell7588@reddit

Bought our house 3 years ago and I hate it so much, we had 6 months of peace which was greta then the neighbours seemed to crawl out from whatever rock they were hiding under, the area seems to be taking a nose dive Im desperate to get out of here now…

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1968Bladerunner@reddit

Only regretted that we couldn't afford to jump straight to a 3-bed, especially when we found ourselves pregnant just 2 years later & had to do the whole process again to get the 3rd bedroom.

Don't regret either house purchase otherwise.

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Dapper-Cauliflower35@reddit

Regrets, I've had a few.... (house needed a lot more work than we thought, neighbours much worse than we thought...)

but have kept an eye on other sales in the areas we were looking, and we wouldn't have ended up with anything better.

Other thing is that if we'd known how our work lives were going to change we could have looked at buying elsewhere where we may have ended up with a better place.

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fonster_mox@reddit

I struggle being stuck with difficult neighbours for a few years. And it can be stressful that everything that goes wrong, you're on your own to deal with.

But, I like knowing that every mortgage payment is an investment, rather than just vanishing forever into the landlord's pockets

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sandra_nz@reddit

We had difficult neighbours with our first house. Stuck it out for three years then moved on - the increased value of the house covered the additional costs of buying/moving on and we have been so much happier in our current home.

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Pristine_Winter_5513@reddit

Same here, lasted 3 years in first house with truly awful neighbours. It's a miracle I didn't strangle them.

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sandra_nz@reddit

I’m sure, like me, you often fantasised about it!

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ADHDJ86@reddit

I regret my neighbours

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Pristine_Winter_5513@reddit

Yup! I think it should be legally permitted to strangle neighbours if they are absolute idiots.

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CNRADMSN@reddit

I wouldnt say 'regret' is the right word, but I certainly feel there's dimishing 'happy' returns as you move up the housing ladder. I feel like I could still get by in my first two bed flat, my mrs completely disagree's. I just want a peaceful life at the end of the day 🤣

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Pristine_Winter_5513@reddit

I did with my first house. A 2 bed terrace with paper thin walls and awful neighbours. I stayed out the house as much as possible, worked and saved aggressively and got the hell out of there after 3 painful years.

In a peaceful detached now.

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Wits_end_24@reddit

Moving house is such a huge thing, once you are at the end of the process your emotions are all over the place. Give yourself some breathing room to settle and start making it your own. I moved from an absolutely beautiful home in a really great location to a much smaller house in a location I had zero knowledge of, an hour away from family. I had huge regrets initially but love this house now. It's still too small but other than that I've put my stamp on it and learned how to make use of the space I have.

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gaspoweredcat@reddit

i must be an outlier then, we literally loved our place the moment we saw it, didnt expect we would actually get it initially as it was top end of our budget and it was the first house we looked at. been in a year and a bit now and we love it more than ever, even more so once we get the new bathroom fitted, not had a single shred of regret

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utterlyforked@reddit

Bought the right house with the wrong person. Took a loss but had to sell it.

Bought the wrong house with the right person. Would take a loss if we sold it now but we're happy and it should come good eventually if we can hold on against mortgage rises and cost of living increases.

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snavej1@reddit

What's wrong with your house? Does it have a big, flashing, offensive, neon sign in the front garden?

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Key-Sir7532@reddit

Yes. It was horrible. We had a roof leak that became apparent on day 3 of home ownership. The survey didn't identify it, and it was our first house. To make matters worse, it was a historically rainy winter, and it took countless roofers to figure out where the leak was coming from. We had six months of damp hell.

In the coming months we also dealt with asbestos and a water pipe bursting, as well as rampant bamboo – the bad kind. We were new homeowners, so we didn't know bamboo could be an issue.

Now – three years later – I've stopped caring. It still needs a lot of work, but it'll get done when it gets done. The house has a lot of potential. As of yet, that potential is only partly realised.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

What do surveys even cover. I hear so many stories of surveys missing issues or not checking properly and people are met with huge things to fix they move in.

Are you planning on staying in the house long term? Or do you plan on selling up?

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Key-Sir7532@reddit

Yes, surveys are such odd things. They are essential but also worded in a way that makes them feel pointless. So many caveats.

We will stay for at least five more years. It's a freehold property in London, which is great. For the first year, my partner and I would often take a moment or two to appreciate the fact that it's a freehold property in London. We did that because – with the rain pouring through our asbestos ceiling – there was very little else to be happy about.

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FreeBogwoppits@reddit

Yes I regret it.

Its a lovely place, but we bought as a fixer-upper and the tradies have been awful. We keep having to pay for everything at least twice, the work plus someone else to correct the work. So many no shows as well.

We've given up now. Its grim, but we're just going to live here until we get the money, energy and time to just paint everything white and sell the place. If we break even that'll do fine.

We won't buy again.

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

Why not hire the people fixing the bad work in the first place? Or ask at your local trade counter for recommendations. And most importantly the first time you get a good trade in, you ask them who does work in their house, when you approach them, tell them exactly who recommended you. We've found so many great trades off the back of one good electrician

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Expensive-Draw-6897@reddit

I moved from a 2 bed, 1st floor flat in a terraced old building in a not so nice area to a 3 bed detached house in an ok area.
We looked at moving recently but decided the grass is always greener on the other side. We actually took for granted how nice our neighborhood is and how friendly the neighbors are. Better the devil you know.

My advice is to give it a few years. Think of the + and - compared to your last place. Going from renting to a mortgage? All the money you put in will be returned when you sell.

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PassionateCrashOut@reddit

Does a flat count?

When we looked, all the houses we viewed in our price range were small, like really small. So in the end we opted for a new build 2 bed flat.

It has significantly more floor space, but as time has gone on storage has become a real pain in the ass, and selling looks like it is going to be a nightmare too.

Do I regret the initial purchase, no, it was great for first 5 years. Do I regret not moving sooner, yes.

Wouldn't be so bad if the leasehold service charge wasn't so expensive.

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Akiyama_Gari@reddit

I regretted buying my previous house eventually, as the area seemed to get worse as time passed.

I love my current house. I've been here five years. It's nothing fancy, just a three-bed semi for me and my wife and son. The street is lovely and quiet, with neighbours who are either friendly or keep to themselves. The house needs some modernising (we've done a lot already), but I never regret moving.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

How long in your previous home did you decide to sell and move?

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Akiyama_Gari@reddit

We sold (as in completed) exactly four years to the day we bought it, so probably listed it six months or so before that. We bought it because at the time it was all we could afford, but as soon as that was no longer true and the surroundings deteriorated we did not hesitate. Moved during COVID so no stamp duty again.

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Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit

Love the road we're on and our neighbours the area is a bit dodgy but nothing much ever spills out, it's a slog doing work to it but at the end of the day we have a 3 bedroom house and we're the only ones in our families/Friends to own so we're quite proud of it

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JeanDeBrissacLaMotte@reddit

The only time I regret being a homeowner is when I have to deal with British tradesmen.

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Effective-Pea-4463@reddit

I don’t regret it one bit, my partner thought it wouldn’t be our forever home but it will be, bought 10 years ago and we’ll be mortgage free in 5 years.

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Individual_Pass3933@reddit

I bought my house as a new build from plans. Hadn't even seen it in person. Went to view it a couple of months before completion and hated it. Was much smaller than I thought it would be. However, that was 11 years ago and I've been paying 450 a month for it since then. If I was renting I'd be broke. Keep meaning to look at moving but honestly with interest the way it is, I'm staying put.

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Important_Lychee6925@reddit

Not regret but a lot more work than I thought it would be as we picked a house that needed new roof/electrics/ rendering which we have just finished, still not decorated and need to fit a new bathroom/ kitchen and have been here over a year living in a semi-building site. It’s ok in long run as we are investing in the house and you learn to live with it but I do get a bit jealous when I go to my friends finished houses.

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FreshMontrealer12@reddit

Yep huge regrets. I spent my 20s just upping and moving overnight whenever a new job came up or I felt like something new. I bought my place 2 years ago and still not sure if I want to be here but holding out to gain some equity and sort myself out to sell. All the spare money goes to repairs and maintenance (which I knew but still hurts). I was encouraged by my parents but tbh it’s just not me and it feels like it’s never clean or tidy because it’s bigger. I’d be happier in a ground floor flat with a small garden. Weird really, it’s what a lot of people dream of but I’d go back tomorrow if I could

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

If it wasnt for my job id be happy in a van or a static. But unfortunately I work from home and need a whole set up to work from with reliable internet. If it wasnt for the fact that buying is cheaper than renting, id of probably rented for longer.

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Funky_monkey2026@reddit

Some issues - windows leak sound and the next door (luckily semi detached and no shared wall, but a few metres gap for side access) has some interesting characters with mental health issues and substance abuse. Honestly if the latest "woman" wasn't there it would be fine. Also, the house is always colder than it is outside. Great in summer but freezing in winter.

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surfrider0007@reddit

I find people weird, why would you choose to buy something you don’t like/want? In answer to your question, no I haven’t regretted buying any of the 4 properties I’ve owned. Currently living in the 4th of those, having not regretted buying it 😂

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Moving from my old house wasnt a choice. Had to sell due to a split and needed a home. Not an awful lot on the market for a solo home buyer. I didnt really have much time either to assess as the buyers kept threatening to pull out if I didnt find accommodation quickly. I regret having rushed the process and not having time to wait to see what was on the market. So yes, I do regret buying my house as it partly doesn't feel like a choice.

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InvestigatorSoft3606@reddit

Didn’t regret. But had “oh shit what have we done” type feelings.

Mainly just because of the sheer size of the commitment we had made.

It passes.

Just live in the house for a while. Re evaluate in a year

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UniquePotato@reddit

I regret who I bought my first house with

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Thats absolutely awful. Not exactly the stress you need after a separation.

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Ecstatic_Effective42@reddit

Moved into a new build. There were so many problems with the house itself and the new neighbours were awful.

Flooding, paper thin walls, incomplete fittings, they were still painting the day we moved in.

We moved again but the stress of it all was the main contributing factor to our divorce. So yeah, I do regret that one.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

How long after you bought the new build did you decide you couldn't handle it anymore and move?

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Ecstatic_Effective42@reddit

Less than a year. We had to move into another bedroom to be able to sleep as the main one was on the party wall.

I'll never forget that feeling as I drove away from the place for the last time, the weight that fell off me...

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speedboat_jacket46@reddit

I hate it because of how much effort it takes up. The effort to hire a handyman is insane, and it feel as though as soon as one thing gets sorted another problem arises. Trying to DIY things eats up weeks of your life, with varying success.

I didn't even buy a fixer upper either!

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Mine isnt a fixer upper or it didnt look like it until I got the keys. The amount of hidden issues is overwhelming. I dont have the energy after everything to learn ro DIY but also tradies are expensive.

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Fanjo_mcclanjo@reddit

I regretted buying mine because about half an hour later the property market crashed and left me in negative equity for near a decade.

Now? Got about 8 years left on mortgage and feeling much less raging about it. One of the neighbours rent is near double my mortgage.

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aChocolateFireGuard@reddit

Yes. When looking at our house, it was PERFECT. It still is the nicest house on this small cul de sac at a glance and on paper. But scratch a little beneath the surface and everything is just a bodge job.

The next door neighbours were also HELL but luckily theyve since moved and the new ones are lovely.

We want to move but i think we are trapped for the foreseeable. We dont really know what to do for the best. Do we put money into fixing the bodge jobs which will cost thousands or do we save it all for a big deposit on a new house? We paid close to the ceiling of prices in our area so if we spent too much on renovations we’d probably end up taking a loss

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BryOnRye@reddit

Been in my (first) house for 14 years. My biggest regret is that there is no garage or space for one.

To a lesser extent that my house is lower than the road/pavement as my dog barks at people or cars going past. It’s not on a busy road so there isn’t much traffic so it’s more of a minor annoyance than anything.

There are plenty of other things that could be better but no house will ever be perfect so I’m happy where I am and have no intention of moving.

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JennyW93@reddit

I bought my first house about 18 months ago. Got quite lucky in that it was the location I wanted, within budget, didn’t need any work.

I didn’t (and don’t) regret it, but I did have overwhelming anxiety in the first few months. The ‘wake up in the night crying’ kind. I was just absolutely terrified of anything going wrong and needing an expensive repair. That settled down over time. I do occasionally still have a bit of a worry about how expensive owning a house is, but I reassure myself by remembering I was miserable renting. And that I have insurance.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

I completely relate to the overwhelming anxiety. I wake up every morning just feeling absolutely sick to my stomach. I regret buying my house though, but theres not a lot of options for solo homebuyers.

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eluuu@reddit

love it, hate new builds with a passion so i'm in the country in a 250 year old stone terrace

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txe4@reddit

This is the way.

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Gauntlets28@reddit

I don't regret buying my house. I regret committing to such massive DIY projects.

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Marion_Ravenwood@reddit

I remember walking into ours and all the stuff we didn't see on viewings became super obvious. And it looked half the size it did on viewings.

Unless you've decided you hate the area or your neighbours, or the house is falling down, it's unlikely this feeling will last.

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Lyrakish@reddit

I go through cycles of thinking it was a bad purchase, and loving it. I mostly feel regret when I think about having to replace something, like the bathroom or kitchen. I wonder whether I could have bought a new build. But then on the other side I'm glad I have my own home and anything that does need changing is minor in the grand scheme of things.

I think it's normal to have some regret. It's such a big purchase.

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Imaginary_Finger7844@reddit

Nope.

Bought it during the crash a couple of decades ago and made a fortune selling it.

I regret spending all the money I got from selling it though.

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Puzzled_Dealer3449@reddit (OP)

Wish id bought during the crash. Probably wont make the money back on my place. Ill be lucky to get the deposit back.

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craigybacha@reddit

First house we've bought - there 5.5 years - no regret even once.

Second house we've bought - here 6 months - no regrets yet.

Maybe it depends on finances or where you are in your life, but as long as nothing crazy goes wrong with the house for me it's only a very positive thing to be paying a mortgage off rather than rent.

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Alert_Mine7067@reddit

I regretted it immediately after I walked in, I was a bit pissed off because the previous owner hadn't removed a great deal of their furniture as per the contract. It needed a rewire, and a new bathroom and kitchen, well you could argue that they weren't strictly needed per se, but they were both ghastly. On top of that, there was a leak that hadn't been correctly dealt with that had saturated the boards below the laminate in the living room and they had decayed.

It reached a point where I decided that everything was probably fucked until proven otherwise, and oddly at this point I felt happier, it was like playing The Sims only without having a money cheat.

Now that I have it where I want it to be, I have grown to like it. That said, once I have the personal loan I'd taken for renovations paid off, and a few other bits and bobs, then I will maybe consider selling and moving.

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No_Ring_3348@reddit

My mortgage is a third of what rent would be so no, quite the opposite in fact.

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Enough-Ad3818@reddit

1st house I regretted, but that was due to neighbours and not the house itself.

2nd house we have not regretted at all. We absolutely love it, and have put a lot of effort and money into making it our forever home.

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BetterCallSeal@reddit

I love my house now, but at the time I bought it I definitely regretted it. It’s an old Victorian terrace and needed a little work doing, which I was okay with, but the boiler broke down mid-winter when we moved in and it was an absolute nightmare to fix thanks to the age of the house. Several times during that period I wished I was still renting again just to be rid of the stress. Now, though, I love it here and I’m glad to have a place all my own.

If you’ve literally just pulled the trigger, give it time. I think it’s natural to have regret after making such a large life decision.

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ReefNixon@reddit

I don't even know why i bought mine, i just did it and then found myself living here. The main regret is not necessarily the house, but the suburbs. Looking forward to getting a bit further out when my current fixed term is up.

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jurwell@reddit

Didn’t regret it for a second, still don’t.

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Hot_Ad_6442@reddit

We’re currently in the process of buying a new one, where we currently live is incredible but we think they’re going to build loads of houses behind us so we’re jumping ship. Where we’re moving to has huuuuuuge potential but currently it’s just that, potential. Both me and my wife work from home so even when we’re getting work done we’re both going to be surrounded by the mess, the dust, etc

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Liquidawesomes@reddit

Secretly I regret not pushing through on the first house we seriously considered. It was a massive 4 bed with attached garage that needed some TLC and a new kitchen, but my wife didn't like the driveway slope.

The three bedroom house we bought instead was lovely and well cared for, but even with just one baby on the way we're starting to trip over ourselves.

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Kvark33@reddit

Love it, giant garden, peaceful neighbourhood all privately owned by either elderly people or families. It was a newbuild in the 70's and hadn't been moved out or renovated since. The only thing I am disliking is lifting all of the old shag carpets in funky colours.

Our previous flat was an absolute hell hole

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Professional-Bat4134@reddit

I don't love my house, it requires some TLC that I currently don't have the headspace for.

But I am eternally grateful that it's mine and I'm fortunate enough to have purchased my own.

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Own-Jeweler3169@reddit

How much did you get it for/ what are the associated costs (mortgage etc.)

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Low-Rooster5398@reddit

Don't regret it at all but it does seem like there's a never ending list of maintainence and repairs to do.

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Psycho_Splodge@reddit

I bought for location. I'm of two minds whether I should have bought somewhere bigger in a slightly shitter spot.

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Majestic_Plankton921@reddit

I don't regret getting on the property ladder and having a permanent home for my family and not needing to rent anymore. However my house is old, too small and has loads of issues. I'd love a better house but can't afford it right now.

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originalwombat@reddit

The key to house buying is only compromising on things that you can change

I absolutely ADORE all the things I can’t change about my house. The plot, views etc. but the house is a terrible layout and so outdated and old. All of which I can eventually change!

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RTB897@reddit

Bought a new build in 2008 and managed to stick it for 3 years. It never felt like home at all. Designed to turn a profit and to meet regulatory requirements.

Our latest house bought 4 years ago is a lovely old house that was actually designed and built with the idea that people would live in it. We don't regret this purchase at all. We love it!

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fuggerdug@reddit

My house suffers from all sorts of damp and every single bit of plumbing, internal and external, leaked or broke down, all the gutters leaked, the windows leaked, plus I struggled to get insurance because of a 400 pound claim for wisteria removal by the previous idiot owners. It did my head in for years but I'm getting each problem fixed and dried out and it's a lovely old house. Just not what I thought I had bought.

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Temporary_Degree_890@reddit

Had my house 10 years in July.

Brought it.. Loved it.

During covid I started hating it, it was partially a building site, had rats in the bathroom roof.

Had it done from top to bottom 2021, liked it for all of 3 months, then started hating it again, mainly because all we have is issues with the work that was done, and I now hate the area, makes me really anxious.

Despise this house wish I had not rushed in and brought it and waited for something else. Will be selling and moving as soon as I can.

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dreamribbons@reddit

I don't regret it but I was overwhelmed and wondering what the hell I'd done. Even when issues crop up that need fixing (and cost money) it doesn't make me wish that I was in the living situation I was in beforehand

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ric_mcc1766@reddit

I'm growing to hate mine. Bought a new build flat in London at a time when it was a good idea to do so, and now I'm stuck. I want to not have a leasehold, to get away from increasing service charges, to have a garden, and to live in a place that is more homely.

Trying to sell it but no one will even come to view it when listed at the same price that I bought it for five years ago

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Fellsy8@reddit

I looked online too when I moved a year ago and discovered, like you, that buyer's remorse was very common.

I think my anxiety was sky high and I just felt totally displaced. I just kept thinking I had done the wrong thing. I'm pretty sure that was just because it's such a lot of money to part with; you don't spend half a million pound every day!

I am absolutely in love with my house now and can't imagine ever moving again.

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StalinsPeanutButter@reddit

I love the freedom and security of owning my own home but I regret the particular house we chose and I know now we overpaid (not even in relation to recent price drops).

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BarleyWineStein@reddit

Probably because the common narrative is that renting is dead money and that landlords are ripping you off.

The reality is that a house (the one you really want to live in) costs you a tonne of money and a tonne of time. It eats every penny you have in either maintenance (for a fixer-upper) or in interest (in a house you can't really afford to mortgage).

Chasing tails.

You only really win if you get super lucky with a chance buy, or play the long game and gain in appreciation. The odd person gets super super lucky and "buys at the right time".

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Puzzled-Barnacle-200@reddit

I definitely did have a feeling of dread the first few days after completion, but after a few weeks I've been nothing but happy. Sure, there were problems I didn't notice that make me annoyed, but I'm happy with my house. I bought it almost 3 years ago expecting to stay 7-10 years, and now I'm expecting to stay for another 7-10 years.

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

There are elements of it we wish we had made more or less of a priority, but considering we would now probably be paying double in rent for the same place and the house has increased in value, don't regret doing it for a moment.

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HeartBeetz@reddit

Yup, guilty.

Bought it because my partner (at the time) loved it...you can guess how that went..!

I wasn't keen on the layout or the amount of work it needed doing on it. He convinced me with his ideas and long term home improvement plans. The only positive in my opinion was the price, we got a great deal.

A decade and 2 kids later, the house looks exactly the same, I'm still in it with buyers remorse but unable to do anything about it!

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Chrolan1988@reddit

5 years in of ownership and I have nothing but appreciation for the house and the decision we made.

My wife and I sacrificed a lot for a couple of years to get it but it has been so worth it.

Also knowing that I have a constantly appreciating asset that will be inherited by our children is an incredible feeling. Neither me or my wife will inherit anything from either side so at least our children will have something.

Another great thing, our mortgage is fixed until winter 2028 (we renewed in 2022 with 5 yr fix) a fixed cost for 5 years can’t be said for any other outgoing: energy / food / council tax / water all on the up which is just like our rent did in the 6 years we rented together.

I have literally 0 regret. In 2023 we renovated our garden as well and had a smashing gathering when it was done and honestly it’s been the best decision we have ever made and was so worth the wait and sacrifice.

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joh153@reddit

I regret the location. Whilst the area itself is nice, quiet and no trouble, I’m far enough away from my friends and because they don’t drive, it feels like it’s me always putting the effort in. I’m also using a lot more fuel than I used to 💔

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Difficult_System1264@reddit

I regretted one of my house purchases. Moved out of town for a bigger property but I never settled in the area. It was a new development on the edge of an existing village and there had been a lot of opposition to it so I felt like we would never belong. It never felt like home, everything was too new and the house had no personality. Plus the lack of amenities and having to drive everywhere was annoying. Stayed there for 3 years before moving closer to town again. Bought an older property that I absolutely love in a much friendlier area with local shops and pubs.

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thefootster@reddit

The feeling comes and goes for me. I've been in this house ten years, its a late Victorian house, and my wife and I love the high ceilings and big rooms compared to anything else we could have bought for the money at the time, but it has a tiny garden and we are always envious of other houses with nice outdoor space, but the main thing is that being a 130 ish year old house it has constant maintenance issues, which are sometimes quite pricey and there have definitely been times I either yearn for when that was the landlord's problem, or wish we'd bought a newer house that might not have those issues. There have definitely been times that I was feeling very negative about it, but on balance after a long time living here, I am happy as we love the look and feel of the house, we love our neighbours and the village we are in, and so we accept that there always has to be compromise. We have looked at other houses a few times, and that always helps as we have never found anywhere that we thought was worth bothering to move to!

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pahanginan@reddit

Being tied down to a country. Yep

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cowbutt6@reddit

I regretted it a few years later when there was an interesting job opportunity in another town that I couldn't afford to pursue.

But mostly I enjoy the certainty that owning provides, especially now the mortgage is paid off.

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Crazyblondie11@reddit

We bought a new build 12 years ago, regretted it ever since. Hate the area. I will move eventually but until then I’m stuck here unfortunately.

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edyth_@reddit

Hated both houses we've bought immediately after completion. The first one I used to walk to the woods and sit there and stare into space just to get away from the house. The woods was full of ticks and I was constantly pulling them off my arms but it was better than being in the house. 8 ish years later I was actually really sad to leave it.

Second house I was googling "how fast can you sell a house after buying" and obsessing over every crack and imperfection and noise. We've been here for 3 years now and it does feel like home but it took me maybe a year to settle in fully.

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