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I pulled up and said "oh this is NICE nice." And I got a little nervous. I walked into the open house and said "oh no..." My husband asked what was wrong. I looked around and said "I might need to buy this house." I never had that feeling before. It was a kind of anxiety like "if we don't get this house I WILL cry"

... We got the house!

I finally got an offer accepted.

Knowing there was no perfect house. But it was in the location with all the features I wanted, and was price slightly less than the new homes being built, but this one had a fence and window coverings that the new builds would not have making them cost a lot more..

There are a couple things I don’t like about my house but overall it’s perfect for what I need.

I actually had to buy it over FaceTime because I was living in a different state at the time when they’re priced right and the feeling is right you have to go for it. You can’t wait. Had I waited a day this house would be gone as it had multiple offers on day one

When you walk into a home, know what your non-negotiables are. Flat yard, big living space, etc. know what they are so that you can judge if it truly fits what you’re looking for.

Go into it realizing that it's unlikely the house will be perfect and you might need to compromise on some things.

But, it should meet your non-negotiables.

My house isn't my "dream house" because it's kind of outdated. But it met the aspects that are harder to change.. good location, good layout, has my preferred # of bed/bath. Plus it has all of the necessities to live on the main floor. The layout is fantastic. Edit to add - major items (furnace, roof, windows, electrical) not too old.

This is so so cheesy and maybe not helpful but…it just Felt Right. And I’m not at all a “woo” person, I really don’t tend to have “feelings” about things or hunches or anything like that. But this house, neighborhood, layout, look…all felt right. AND then it ticked all our boxes (2 bathrooms, WFH space, space to grow family, space for a parent/in law if needed, etc.) and was within our budget.

In the more “woo” vein…it reminded me of the house my sister and I grew up in. My dad was an architect and would’ve loved it, and the reason we even had a down payment sizable enough to buy now instead of next year was because he died suddenly this past summer. I may have been predisposed to loving it for that reason (but my partner and I really do believe he would’ve loved it and we had always talked about how fun it would be to have a house and have my dad help with additions, remodels, etc.)

To be fair it was not perfect. But it did FEEL right very quickly and I’m so glad we trusted that feeling because it’s just right for us (even if we move onto something else down the road)

Checked 99% of my boxes and I could see myself comfortably living in it,

I think finding “the one” is a myth. Just like there are many people who could potentially be your partner, there likely isn’t just one perfect home for you. A home doesn’t have to be forever. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to work for you. If it makes sense on paper, if it feels right, go with it. Don’t be afraid to take a leap.

Go to as many open houses as you can. They usually have some on the weekend. It will give you perspective/ more exposure so when you come accross a good one, you wil know

My wife said so

Seriously though, she liked it first, it grew on me, then the prospect of having a million projects to do was interesting and I got into it

I wrote a list of 'must haves' and things I would 'like to have.' And I weighted it. For instance, I had to have an open kitchen, preferably with an island so I weighted it more than say hardwood floors throughout the house which was more of a 'want.' I also had a mandatory 2 car attached garage, but that was weighted the same as hardwood floors (90% of the houses in the area are attached 2-car garages).

I then looked for houses in the areas I would be willing to move to and in my price ranges. And I totaled up the 'scores' and then looked at the top-5 in scores.

But the big thing is that it took time and patience. It was a ridiculous seller's market after COVID and fortunately I work from home so I didn't have to move. And it too k us 4 years to find the best house for us. There were other houses we were interested in over that time, but they ended up falling thru either because somebody else put in an offer (we were living in another state at the time) or the house wasn't all it was cracked up to be when we looked at it. But we did end up getting by far the best house we ever looked at and it's been fantastic so far.

The one thing to also look at is to just try and imagine living at the place every day. That means looking out for possible annoyances and really placing a value on those annoyances. You may think it's nothing and you can handle it when you look at the home and then start to get really wrapped up in how much you like the home and overlook the annoyances...but then you live there and that annoyance just puts you in a bad mood every day.

When I took a tour and was imagining my kids running around in it and how the space could support them as they grow up - particularly the teen phase. The backyard is large but just rocks so I’ll have to eventually make that more homey for true use, but inside is everything I wanted. Office space for me, loft and big rooms for my 2 kids, spare room for guests, large kitchen with an island. All of these things were on my dream list and I found a home with it all in my budget. $347k, 5bd 3bath, 3300sq ft. So it was a one and done situation. Closed on 7/11/25. Never plan to buy again lol paying off this 30 year mortgage in 9 years 3 months through aggressive planning and I’m happy with that.

We bought one that we thought was really suitable for our life at the time.  Our life changed as our family grew. Now it's not so great.  It's fine, but still has a lot of the features that we liked initially.  It's hard to buy something perfect.  It's also not the only thing in the world even though it's a big asset.  Friends and other things outside of homes are just as important and obsessing over this endlessly is a doom loop. 

Make a list of must haves and non-negotiables. Tour the houses and check things off. For the house(s) that score high on the list, see if you can imagine yourself in it. Making breakfast, relaxing in front of the TV, playing in the backyard with your children, pulling up to it and thinking “I’m home”, decorating, etc.

I saw the backyard. That was it.

You look at it on Zillow, and go wow I can’t believe I like this so much, take a deep breath, research, look at it in person, think the same thing, talk to neighbors, they gas it up. Then you know.

Probably not the best answer, but there was a house under construction in a new-ish community (but within a stable, well-established residential area in Houston). I was impressed with the model home (which had a completely different floor plan and elevation). The home, in particular, was the first under construction in the community and I wasn't sure if it was the right move). I went to bed and had a nightmare about a bidding war involving the home that I lost miserably. Woke up with the cold sweats and sent my realtor (my brother) a text at 3 in the morning saying that I wanted to put in an offer

I got the house and although I had some misgivings the first night (which were more about home ownership, not the house itself). Many of my friends who saw the house after I moved in thought it suited me perfectly.

I love my abode.

After owning seven houses, you learn there is always another house that you love if you just wait.

Only you can answer this question. It all depends on your budget, wants, and needs. When we bought our home almost 3 years ago, our rent was increasing and I was about to lose our subsidy because I just got a new job making more money. Our kid was about to enter highschool and we wanted stability for her (she already had to switch schools during middle school years due to a previous move). I think we looked at 27 different properties in a span of a couple months. The very last week we were going to look to give us enough time to close and move out; our home popped up. There was some work that would have to be taken care of sooner than later but it fit our needs at the time and it all worked out. If you take the emotion out of it, the pros will outweigh the cons. We couldn't afford to stay in the county we grew up in so had to move to the neighboring one. We live about 40 minutes from our families but it's fine because we only see them every few months. We're in a nice suburb with a great school district.

Sounds like you want a single family home. Listen to the regret. 

I found a house in my price range that had my non-negotiables. That was enough to warrant making an offer. This was after 2 months of active searching and multiple failed offers.

I needed a house in a hurry due to the first one I made an offer on falling through. I'd made a list of eight things that I really wanted in the house. I went to look at this house, it was empty so I could visualize all of my furniture. All of it fit then I looked at my list of eight things and saw that this house had all eight. The price was incredibly low, the appraisal came back right on target, and I felt like I was the luckiest person ever. Still do 10 and 1/2 years later.

We knew that based on our area, non-negotiables, and budget we were almost certainly going to end up with a townhome and we were perfectly happy with that. Because we bought in the winter, there’s not a lot of inventory. There was exactly one house in our very narrow geographic window that had only two floors — the rest were three floors. It wasn’t on our must have live but as soon as we saw that it was even an option and it had our non-negotiables — it was a done deal. 

We closed earlier this month, moved in a week ago, and you will have to take me out of this house in a body bag. 

I had a list of must haves, found a house that checked those boxes. Placed an offer. Call me crazy but the added plus being a single female was all the neighbors have dogs, literally all the neighbors. So, it was nice for my dog to have pals across either side of the fence and a neighborhood security system along with my home security. I am one of those who have no problem falling asleep with barking neighbor dogs and that has made its way outside and when I have guests I have a white noise machine for them. Anyway, no surprise with that fact, I was the only one who made an offer. I am very happy, I think I scored.

My real estate agent said she knew I was going to put an offer in on my house because it was the only time I started talking about where my furniture would go and what rooms would be for —- oh this would be great for my office etc. saw 3 houses the next day and then asked her to go for coffee to talk about the process. Offer went in that evening and was accepted the following morning.

It checked 80% of our boxes, fell within our budget (which was not at all expected), and we were prepared to go conventional with 20% down on a quick close when the house couldn't qualify for fha without a bit of work

Is it our forever house? Doubtful because I'd like to move farther south. That being said, if it winds up being our forever house, that's fine also.

They told me I qualified and no one else wanted it.

19 years later (I’m kidding I’m only 6 months in but I hope I get to see my kids grow up here)

My wife told me it was

I started low and got higher on price.

Looked at about 10 houses.

All the houses were shit holes minus the last one I looked at.

I didn't check out the neighborhood or anything. I just walked in and knew immediately it was supposed to be mine.

I took a big chance and gamble because I knew nothing about the area.

Worked out for the best. I knew that spring my house was supposed to be mine and I was where I was supposed to be because of something that happened.

Best deal I'll probably ever do as I put my business downstairs and I got a check back and put it on my principal so day 1 I was ahead.

Wake up every morning in love with my house, neighborhood, city, and how things turned out.

Also, later I found the sign up book where other people looked at the house and it was about 10 people that passed on it. It was supposed to be mine.

You just know.

My husband was convinced this one house we looked at was the one. New construction, cookie cutter and checked the boxes. He was envisioning and planning out EVERYTHING. We beat around the bush for a couple weeks and he talked me into putting an offer in because I was pretty hesitant.. I couldn’t see us raising our family there. They accepted the other offer that was put in the same time as ours. Tbh I was relived, he was bummed. We spent the next couple weeks taking a break and then our realtor sent us an older house that was about to hit the market and it checked most of our boxes. Went and toured it. Current family was younger and had two young kids and a dog so we could actually get a feel for what our family (1 year old and a dog) would look like in there… We loved it. Got in the car and both said it felt like home. Put an offer in and they accepted. We’ve been here for about 3 months now and we’re very happy with how things played out

We toured a house that we really liked, checked a lot of boxes, fell in the right price range, and immediately went to another house tour and hated everything about it and couldn’t stop comparing it to the first - that’s really when we made our decision

Look at it not just as a place to live, but an investment. Where do you want to sink your money? Location.

Also look at the lifestyle you want. Do you want neighbors? Parking? Garage? Close to town?

Depending on the area, single family homes will almost always appreciate faster than anything else. Land is worth money, too.

A lot of the houses in our budget had major issues so it was the first one that didn't have any major issues.

We knew because it “felt” like home out of all the houses we saw. There was a peace about being in the space and around the property. It met all of our necessities and 90% of our wishes. It was actually hard to see the house for what it is through the 70’s & 80’s wallpaper and kool aid red carpet. It was empty and had been for a year. We called it the mural house because every room has an entire wall of assorted wallpaper murals. Think 70’s nature scene, but wall sized. In EVERY room. Well I shouldnt say every room. The dining room is pink cabbage roses with a blue rooster border, but you get the idea. But it felt like home when we walked in. There is no other way to explain it. We saw 9 houses that weekend and it is the house we spent the most time in checking things out. We spent more time there trying to imagine how our lives would or wouldn’t function with the space. We walked every corner of the acreage. We discussed what furniture would be needed. It was an entirely different discussion after seeing the house and traveling to the next. This house was the one we were least excited to view, but tossed it in the mix because it checked most of the boxes. We love our house, even though we will be removing wallpaper and popcorn ceiling for the next 3 years.

We discussed our must-haves and made a list of homes with those, then started viewing. Only one house got a big yes from both of us, and that’s the one we chose. Made an offer before we even left the viewing.

It is a lifestyle choice. If you want to have a garden and privacy, go for the single family home if you can comfortably afford it. If you want a simpler life, go for the townhouse with less yard work, less repairs, likely no snow removal, etc. Value is what people will pay for a property. It sounds like you are in a hot market where homes sell quickly, so the listing price equals the value.

Had a bed room on the first floor with a full bathroom. All of the other floor plans were 4 bedrooms upstairs.

Taking my buddy for a walkthrough, so he could point out everything an inspector would find. I was so nervous. We had looked at a few houses more than once, but I could not shake the feeling of anxiety waiting for him to finish walking thru this one. We close next month.

All the houses I’ve bought I’ve always had that gut feeling that it’s right, your intuition is very powerful if you listen to it

Every townhome will usually come with a HOA fee. Now imagine your mortgage (principal, interest, then home insurance and property taxes) will be for example $2000. On top of that you will always have a HOA fee, maybe even $400 no matter what. And this fee can jump up to double that if the board decides so or if they decide on a special assessment. Without you being on the board and getting involved, you have no voice in this (except for whom you vote), so it can take you to a very shitty situation you have no control of. Of course, home insurance and property taxes can also fluctuate but usually not so drastically. And hopefully you choose a mortgage with a fixed rate so there are no surprises there.

With a single family home, you simply don’t have this HOA fee which can bring you additional savings.

If money is a factor in deciding (it usually is), better look for a house, and make sure it also isn’t in a HOA community.

when you can walk into the house and picture your things in it, then you know its home :)

I walked into the backyard and an owl flew up from the ground and right over my head. It also checked all our wants: one story, fireplace, 2 baths, 2 car garage, view from kitchen, woods in back.

I viewed almost 30 homes. Most I just walked through and had my opinions on. On the two I offered on I had immediately began picturing how I'd have my furniture setup, what I would do with the yard, etc.

We had a checklist... Somethings were just non-negotiable. We saw the house online and liked it enough to view it. When we got inside it fit everything we wanted. We put in an offer that night and it was accepted. This came after finding a home we loved so much but our offer was rejected. Ultimately, it wasn't the house for us. The house we settled on better suits our needs.

There's another house out there for you! Inventory in my area is high with at least 10 houses coming available daily.

I recently bought a home in Utah for $492K. I ended up missing a lot of details about the house that I didn’t love because I had a bit of tunnel vision during the process. That said, I believe you eventually grow into the space you live in no matter what. I don’t hate the house, and I actually have a clear vision of what I want to do to make it my own.