Recently, a redditor asked recent homeowners in the Reddit community to share their biggest home regret, and since I’m not a homeowner, I’m taking notes. From furniture and pools to inspectors and driveways, here are some of the most honest responses:
1.
“Buying a house with a pool was a good idea at the time, and we used it a lot at first, but I used it about three or four times a year. It requires a lot of maintenance and repairs. One day, I took a dive into the freezing cold water because there was a leak somewhere and lost 250 gallons of water. I suspected the pipe connecting to the main drain at the deep end had cracked, so I plugged it up. I know someone who has a pool; I don’t have one.”
2.
“They hired the wrong home inspector. They overlooked so many details. I really wonder if all those highly rated reviews were bought and paid for.”
—u/Captain
3.
“We didn’t move our cars out of the driveway or attempt to park them, so we didn’t realize that my car could only enter the driveway from one direction. Every time I need to park, I have to turn around half a block. Plus, we can BARELY fit two cars in the driveway. So, I regret ever assuming that the driveway would fit our needs.”
4.
“I bought a house a few years ago and a lot of things have gone wrong. One thing I regret is not being educated about permits. Contractors, handymen, and pretty much anyone working on your home never mention that a permit may be needed. I learned that it’s up to me and me alone to do the research and phone calls. I currently have a job on hold because they need a permit. The company blamed me and now I’m not sure if they’re going to do the work.”
—u/MissPeppingtosh
5.
“Buying and then getting divorced four months later.”
6.
“I should have bought a smaller house and kept the money to renovate it instead of a bigger one with nothing. My current house has so many quirks that I would love to change, but I’ll probably have to wait 10 years. I’m making as many changes as I can make myself, but there are so many to do and some are way outside my knowledge base.”
—u/allrobots
7.
“I bought a house three years ago and my biggest regret is rushing into buying furniture. I wish I had taken my time and bought pieces when I could afford something nice. Now I have crappy couches that I despise.”
8.
“The inspector told us that the main drain in the basement was clogged. We thought it was clogged by something normal, but it was ‘clogged’ with cement from when the basement floor was renovated. So now, our basement regularly has standing water on one side.”
—u/doctorpotterhead
9.
“Not learning more about home maintenance before I bought and moved in. Thankfully, nothing major has happened, but after a few years, I’ve realized how little I actually know about taking care of a home, and it’s affecting my utilities and my comfort. I don’t regret buying the house, but if I could go back and do it all over again, I’d take care of some things sooner and differently, and probably get better results.”
10.
“I don’t know enough about the area/city. I hate where we live and I hope we can move before my oldest starts kindergarten.”
—u/MP1087
eleven.
“I bought a house that was in poor working order. It turned out it needed new wiring, plumbing, and structural support. The inspector (who I later found out was a friend of the real estate agent) had no concerns about the house. I ended up selling it at a reduced price for $15,000.”
12.
“I’m not looking at the neighborhood at night. There’s a business with a very tall, brightly lit parking lot, with lights that seem to point toward my windows.”
—u/Stop signs are red
13.
“I regret buying my parents’ house. Now everything needs to be changed. We replaced all of the expensive custom windows and found out the frames were rotted so we had to redo a ton of stucco. That was just the tip of the iceberg. At first, buying the house was a no-brainer because of the price and value of the house, but now we’re stuck with how bad the market is and all the things we need to fix in order to sell.”
14.
“Don’t buy before interest rates went up so quickly. We started looking in March 2022 and rates were hovering around 3.2-3.5%. By the time we locked in our rate with all the paperwork in June of the same year, it had gone up to 5.125%. We closed with three days to spare on the rate lock because homeowners were being pushy about the closing date.”
—u/thewalkingellie
fifteen.
“I’m buying in an area where my house was the most expensive. Other people’s prices are driving mine down, making it harder to sell for what it’s worth.”
—Slow Joe Two
sixteen.
“There’s not enough research being done on schools and school zones. We’re a seven-minute drive from one of the best schools in the state and a seven-minute drive from one in the bottom 50 percent. Guess what zone we’re in?”
17.
Last but not least: “I didn’t buy a house four years ago.”
—u/(deleted)
It never occurred to me to test driveway, so now I’ll make sure to do so (if I ever buy a house). If you’re a recent homeowner, what’s your biggest regret? Let me know in the comments or you can submit it anonymously using this form!
