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A recent Reddit thread in r/homeowners asked a simple but revealing question: If you could turn back time, would you still buy your current home? The comment section exploded with hundreds of responses from homeowners reflecting on the biggest financial decision of their lives, and whether they got it right.
“I wouldn’t buy this home again!” one homeowner summed up the mood. “I’d go for smaller, cheaper, newer and in a safer location.”
Many responses came from people who love their home but still wouldn’t make the same choice again. Some said they rushed into a purchase because of market pressure. Others pointed to the location, layout or unexpected issues with neighbors as the dealbreakers.
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“No chance. Love it but I wish we would have just kept looking,” one commenter said. Another added, “Ended up on a street busier than I’d like. Would have looked for a cul-de-sac or dead end.”
Neighbors were a major issue. “Turns out [my neighbor] has a subwoofer in his carport and works on his car with it blasting,” one homeowner wrote. Another admitted they were sold a home next to a hoarder and later learned the previous owners had moved because of her.
Some regretted giving up on their must-haves. “My plan was to have this house for 5-10 years and then upgrade,” a person said. “Now I likely never will. I wish I had got an extra 300 feet, an extra half bath, and like 6 blocks to the east.”
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Multiple commenters brought up the “golden handcuffs” dilemma–low interest rates from 2020 to 2021 have made it financially hard to move even when their current home no longer fits their life.
“This was supposed to be our starter home and more and more each day it’s looking like it’ll be our forever home,” one said.
Others admitted they simply didn’t know what to look for as first-time buyers. “I also bought an okay house in a bad location,” one person wrote. “So much highway noise, no sidewalks… the sun doesn’t hit my roof from October to March.”
Some felt misled by agents. “I wish my agent shared their honest opinion,” one said. “Mine never mentioned the negatives of any property I looked at. Everything was, ‘It’s a great home.’”
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Despite the wave of regret, many homeowners said they would absolutely buy their house again.
“Absolutely. I love my house, and my neighbors are now some of my best friends,” one wrote. Another put it simply: “This house has been good to me.”
Some shared stories of smart timing and patient research. “[We] put hundreds of hours into researching the market, understanding supply and demand in our area, and timing interest rates,” one person explained. “I also would not have purchased if I did not get this specific lot and model.”
For those burned out by traditional ownership or looking for a different path, platforms like Arrived offer an alternative. With as little as $100, you can invest in shares of rental properties without dealing with maintenance, noisy neighbors or unexpected repairs. For many in the thread, that kind of flexibility might have been the better call.
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This article Homeowners Were Asked If They’d Buy The Same Home Again And It Seems Many Are Filled With Regret. ‘I’d Go For Smaller, Cheaper, Newer’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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