How To Regret-Proof Your Home Purchase

Buying a home is a dream for many Americans, and one plenty of them have successfully realized.

But what happens if that dream becomes a nightmare? For some homeowners, it may be: 22% of homeowners regret buying their current home, according to a June 2025 NerdWallet survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll. And 8% of homeowners say they strongly regret the purchase.

Want to avoid this? If you’re in the market to buy a home, here are some ways to regret-proof your purchase.

Where you buy can dramatically impact both the cost of your home and your satisfaction living there.

Factors that can make a difference over time include busy streets, ambient noise, poorly maintained infrastructure, empty lots and whether nearby properties are well maintained. While no particular problem is a deal breaker for every buyer, think about what that “little annoyance” will mean to you when you have to contend with it every single day.

If possible, stop by the property several times before putting in an offer. Varying the times of day and days of the week you visit can show you new things, and it may give you an opportunity to meet some neighbors.

By visiting a few times, you might find on-street parking is scarce on the weekend. If you have kids, it’s nice to know if your neighbors do too. On the other hand, if you prefer quiet, you may want to know if the neighbor runs an in-home child care business during the week.

While some buyers may choose to skip a pre-purchase home inspection to make an offer seem more attractive to sellers, it is an opportunity for nasty surprises.

Seattle real estate agent Kari Haas says nobody should ever buy a house — even new construction — without knowing what they’re getting into.

“I do not allow my clients to do it,” Haas said. “Even when there’s multiple offers and other people have waived their inspections.”

A home inspection can uncover major issues such as roof problems, past flooding and construction defects. Even minor things, such as an old water heater, can provide an opportunity to negotiate with the seller, making the inspection a potential cost-saver.

Some sellers are willing to negotiate over items that turn up in an inspection, while others aren’t. If the inspection uncovers new costs, make sure to add those into your budget and consider whether the added expenses push the home out of reach financially. It pays to know when to walk away.

Paying too much for a home can be a major stressor. And many people will be approved for mortgages that are more than they can reasonably afford. An affordability calculator can help you determine a realistic budget given what you have saved for a down payment, your income and your other expenses.

While getting the right home is often worth cutting back spending on “extras”, it can also be a source of regret when those cutbacks end up requiring major lifestyle changes.

In addition to the loan payment, don’t forget to budget for the other homeownership costs. Often overlooked are the impact of property taxes, homeowners insurance, private mortgage insurance (PMI) and homeowners association fees on a monthly budget.

There’s also upkeep. Lawns need mowing. Furnaces need repairs. Pipes break. All that takes time, money or both.

People often buy homes with the idea of immediately remodeling a kitchen, building an addition or otherwise doing major renovations. Others seek out a fixer-upper or find serious issues in the inspection that need to be remedied. All of these situations cost money and take time to address — often more money and time than initial estimates.

When possible, get written estimates for any home improvements you’re planning and for any work that needs to be done. Also remember to anticipate the ongoing costs of the inevitable minor repairs and occasional big ticket items, even when there’s no major work to do.

When budgeting, mortgage insurer Fannie Mae’s rule of thumb is that homeowners will spend 1% to 4% of a home’s value every year on maintenance and repairs. It may be a good idea to plan a post-purchase budget that includes a “house fund” you pay into each month to cover those expenses.

For a $410,000 home — the median price in the U.S. — that’s between $340 and $1,400 per month. Especially with a fixer-upper or an older home where the costs tend towards the higher end of the range, that can have a significant impact on a family’s finances, so bake this into the budget early on. While doing work yourself cuts down on the out-of-pocket costs, even DIY aficionados may not have the skills — or time — for every job that needs doing.

It’s worth remembering that every property is subject to the rules of city or county agencies, at minimum. A neighborhood, townhouse or condo may also have a homeowners association with rules of its own. When these rules keep your neighbors on the straight and narrow, that seems great. When it gets in your way? Not so much.

There are basics like whether building an addition or accessory dwelling unit will be allowed, parking restrictions and noise ordinances. And an HOA, historic district or neighborhood council could have rules in place on anything from the color you paint your house to the number of pets you can own.

Make sure you read the HOA rules, get a map of the area’s zoning from the local building department and ask if the town or county has any unusual regulations.

It’s also important to make sure you know what’s not against the rules. Look into the zoning of nearby properties: Those beautiful woods across the street may be destined to become a shopping mall.

It’s critical that everyone in the household be happy with the home.

Buying your dream house that your partner doesn’t particularly like guarantees disappointment — and can lead to relationship problems. But it’s not just a significant other who has a stake in the home.

People living with aging parents, adult children, long-term roommates and the like may be tempted to take a “my way or the highway” approach. But if the people you live with are unhappy, you’ll likely suffer as well.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of NerdWallet from June 2 – 4, 2025, among 2,090 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,382 were homeowners. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].

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