Previously, I've shared stories about the regrets that first-time homebuyers had and the things that they'll do differently when purchasing their next home. But when u/orangeblossomhoneyd asked the homeowners of Reddit to share the things they learned after buying their first home, I was reminded that many unfortunate homeowner realities only make themselves known once closing day is just a distant, stressful memory. These are just some of the most helpful responses.
1. "When you have a mortgage, it's part of the public record. There are hundreds of companies out there that just scrape that data and send junk mail that's made to be confused with legitimate business in order to trick seniors into sending a check."
2. "When you consider the number of windows you'll have to get treatments for, it's expensive AF. I just paid over $6,000 for 22 windows — and that's with doing the entire install myself."
3. "If there are mature trees on your property, they are stupidly expensive to maintain. Every other year or so, you’ll need an arborist or tree specialist to come out and do tree maintenance: remove loose branches, and trim branches back from your buildings. We have two large oak trees and a few elm trees that are way too tall for us to maintain ourselves, and it costs about $2,000 per visit. Also, we spend a ton of time and money on the extra yard and gutter maintenance from their leaves and seeds. Even with gutter covers, we still have to flush the seeds and pollen out every year."
4. "The actual spot that the home sits on is so important. My first home was a great starting place, and I got lucky with no major issues until I'd been there for a few years! But I was on a main road, and it was noisy and DIRTY from all the traffic. I couldn't change or work around that. I was so excited about the price and the area that I missed that major piece when I bought it. Young and dumb!"
5. "If you're able to, go for a house with a simple, straightforward roof design. The more complicated it is, the more expensive it is to fix and maintain it."
6. "Owning a home is a lot more responsibility than I ever thought it could be. Oftentimes, I feel like this property owns me. I miss the carelessness of being a renter. Being responsible for every little thing sucks, especially if you're not interested in becoming a DIYer."
7. "Make sure you vet your potential neighbors. Buying a house is way different than renting, so you can’t just up and leave. We’ve been here a year and have already had to file a civil suit against ours..."
8. "Don't trust the 'estimates' your realtor comes up with for needed repairs on the house, especially if it's your first time and you have no experience renovating. The $2,000 our realtor said we'd need to fix a siding issue was actually $36,000 after the people who knew what they were talking about came to inspect it."
9. "Always buy a house on a flat lot. I bought a house on the side of a hill. I love this place and don't regret it at all, but there are pros and cons. The good thing is, unless something terrible happens, my yard can't flood because it all runs off to the ravine that comprises the entire left half of my lot. The downside is, it's going to take a ton of time and money (and digging) to make any part of the backyard usable. Sometimes, your dream house doesn't have your dream yard, and that's OK — it's just up to you to decide if you can live with it."
10. "Drive from the home to your job before you put in an offer. Trust me: Some routes (and houses) just aren't worth the annoying commute."
11. "For every new DIY project that you start, prepare yourself to uncover another problem. Literally even working on the smallest problems in our home — like repainting our laundry room, most recently — uncovers something wildly unexpected that needs to be dealt with."
12. "Lower your expectations when it comes to getting tradespeople out to do work. I've spent weeks waiting for plumbers, locksmiths, surveyors, and fencing companies. The latter of which was booked out for half a year, so I just decided to do it myself."
13. "Maintenance eats up more time than you realize, so I just picked a townhouse where the HOA does it all. I'm not going to get it any cheaper doing it all myself; it's, like, $15 a month for mowing, fertilizing, and weeding my yard."
14. "Home improvement projects will always take longer than expected and cost more than you thought..."
"For DIY: Make an itemized budget. Double it. Hope you come in under that, and plan for at least two extra trips to your hardware store.
For contractor work: Make an estimate based on available information. Triple it."
15. "You'll spend your time listening for water leaks like it's a hobby. Any running water whatsoever will make your heart skip a beat."
16. "When I was looking for a home, I didn't check for things like the placement of vents in my house, where the outlets were located, or how furniture would lay out. They're all in odd places. It's a historic home, and I knew there were always gonna be issues like that after being used to renting, but I wish I'd thought more about it since I was planning to be here as long as possible."
17. "Never, ever plant bamboo. It will take over everything in its vicinity. If you're looking to buy and a neighboring home has bamboo, don't buy the house."
18. "Your monthly payment can (and probably will) go up. My mortgage when I bought a home in 2020 was $1,900. Insurance and taxes went up and made it $2,200 a month in 2021. I just got notice that our insurance went up again, so looking at another $100–$200 increase this year."
"I will say, I’m in Florida and we’re in an insurance crisis, so it may not be as dramatic as other places…but regardless, it has been a major bummer after thinking it would stay somewhat static and not be subject to the increases that usually come with renting."
19. "I thought a corner lot was going to be great — only one neighbor to our side instead of being sandwiched in. But every time someone walks down the sidewalk or drives down the street, they’re peering over the fence into our backyard. We constantly watch cars blow the stop sign at the corner, along with kids cutting through our grass because taking the sidewalk is 'too long.' The amount of yard to take care of in a corner lot is so hard, and the same goes for shoveling snow! Instead of just a small patch of sidewalk in the front, it’s half of a block's worth. We are in the process of moving now, and I specifically wanted a non-corner lot this time. I’m tired, and my back hurts."
20. "Buying a house taught me that I don’t care to be a homeowner. Could be that we bought too much home, size-wise, or could be that I don’t care for the area. It was an amazing deal, we sold for close to double what we paid four years ago, and I can’t wait to get to our maintenance-free, very nice but very manageable rental apartment. I always thought owning a home was a sign of success and being an adult. I didn’t realize you had to actually WANT to do all the things homeowners have to do to make it worth it."
21. "People love to talk about houses appreciating over time, leading to extra cash in your pocket when you sell, but that's only if you maintain the building. We spent $25k last year just on maintenance. The well failed, and the roof started leaking unexpectedly. People never subtract maintenance and improvement costs when discussing how much they sold their house for."
22. "Reading and re-reading the original report from my home's inspection is a really helpful tool to remember what I might need to do that I wouldn't necessarily keep at the top of my head, unlike larger things (like cracking plaster) that I see and am reminded of daily."
23. And finally: "Grass grows at a speed that defies logic."
