Just bought a home, am I supposed to be happy?

[Murrmurr]

Thanks. I think we are both excited and nervous. I know there are so many benefits. I told my wife, it's yours do what you want. I know she has plans for it, lots of them.

She wanted a good neighborhood, near shopping and everything else the house has. I wanted some land, but I did not get it, but at least I did get a fenced in back yard with enough space to garden, so there is that.

It's been so long I've had to mow a yard that I forgot how, lol. I'm sure taking care of the property will be good for me, but I've become so lazy...

I refused to buy a house my whole adult life until early this year. I loved being able to move wherever I wanted to, chasing down better jobs, better schools for the kids, drastic changes of scenery and new relationships. We lived in houses, apartments, mountain cabins and mobile homes, and we loved them all, but they were all temporary.

So this home-ownership thing is new to me, too, and I was definitely nervous about it, but it got scary when it took me so long to actually love it.

The problem was, I kept comparing it to all the up-sides of renting; the freedom of movement, changes of scenery, new friends and jobs and all that. That got in the way of seeing what I have now.

Yes, the yard! MY yard, where I can literally make my own soil by composting stuff to grow a garden and flowers and fruit trees. And I can make an outdoor party area and string lights around it and have people over for barbecues, or put up a pool for the grandkids and a spa for me and my wife.

And how awesome that I can knock out a wall if I want, or build one if I want. I built a pantry for my wife and it looks really cool. And she loves it. I built shelves on either side the fireplace and shelves in my wife's study and shelves over the toilet in the main bathroom, and I don't need anyone's permission to do all these things.

So I'm falling in love with our house....OUR house....and I never want to rent again. It just took a while and a slight change in perspective.

 

[HoneyNut]

Sometimes, I just want to not own anything at all, I mean except the clothing that I wear and then just travel and live in hotel rooms or on cruise ships all of the time. I even just told my wife 'I don't want any of my stuff'. And it is a lot of stuff. And suddenly I am questioning all of this to the point I said to my wife 'After we get moved in and settled, I just want to really evaluate all of this and decide how long do we really want to own a nice home? Or do we just start selling off all of our stuff, put it back on the market and just live free with no possessions.

If owning a nice home is on your bucket list then that's great that you found one you really like.

If I'd never owned a home I would have felt like I missed out. But, after owning a few homes that desire was satisfied (and maintenance chores had changed from being interesting new experiences to tedious endless burdens), and last year I was happy to sell the house and get rid of almost all my belongings and travel full-time for a bit (planned to travel for 1 to 2 years, but due to spraining my foot and having already visited most of the desired destinations in the first 6 months, my traveling only last a half year).

Now I'm in a sweet little retirement community condo and it feels just right for me at this time in my life. A lot of people that live here travel and say they don't worry as much as they would if they were leaving a house empty. Plus it is cheaper to own a condo here than a house so that leaves more money available for other choices. It is really nice to feel like there is a home base to leave stuff at and return to.

When I purchased this condo last year (and maybe I was stressing about all the fees and misc costs), the real estate agent told me that most likely after three years I could sell it and not have lost any money. It was a reassuring thought, if it turned out to be a mistake, it didn't have to be permanent.

 

[shedevil7953]

I just bought a house and it's not like I thought it would be.

Wife and I spent time looking and looking and doing so much research, decided on a location, went there, home shopped hard for more than a week. I mean we were looking at homes every day, and sometimes 2-3 in one day. We found one and both were like this is perfect we want it.

So, you know the story, we made the offer and they accepted. And it's not like I envisioned it. We were just supposed to be so excited. I'm not, at all. I want to move to a better location and into a nice home, we've been renting for years. But I'm not excited.

Sometimes, I just want to not own anything at all, I mean except the clothing that I wear and then just travel and live in hotel rooms or on cruise ships all of the time. I even just told my wife 'I don't want any of my stuff'. And it is a lot of stuff. And suddenly I am questioning all of this to the point I said to my wife 'After we get moved in and settled, I just want to really evaluate all of this and decide how long do we really want to own a nice home? Or do we just start selling off all of our stuff, put it back on the market and just live free with no possessions.

the house and the land are EQUITY for the future.

 

[Buckeye]

Buyer's remorse. Very common in real estate.

 

[palides2021]

We are moving to SC, that is where the house is we are buying. It is a bad time to buy. I am working with a broker and we are just holding as long as possible before we lock it. Then we just hope the rates go down enough in a year or so that we refinance. The biggest problem is that the interest rates are so high. And on top of this inflation. We are prepared to be more poor than normal for a year or so.

I remember the first year we bought our house, we had to make a lot of changes also. We stopped going out as much. I packed sandwiches and we had picnics instead. We didn't shop as much. It was tight the first year or so, and then we got into a groove, and later refinanced, and that helped. But the main lesson we learned over time was to pay that mortgage off so we wouldn't have it in our retirement, and we did.

 

[VaughanJB]

I just bought a house and it's not like I thought it would be.

Wife and I spent time looking and looking and doing so much research, decided on a location, went there, home shopped hard for more than a week. I mean we were looking at homes every day, and sometimes 2-3 in one day. We found one and both were like this is perfect we want it.

So, you know the story, we made the offer and they accepted. And it's not like I envisioned it. We were just supposed to be so excited. I'm not, at all. I want to move to a better location and into a nice home, we've been renting for years. But I'm not excited.

Sometimes, I just want to not own anything at all, I mean except the clothing that I wear and then just travel and live in hotel rooms or on cruise ships all of the time. I even just told my wife 'I don't want any of my stuff'. And it is a lot of stuff. And suddenly I am questioning all of this to the point I said to my wife 'After we get moved in and settled, I just want to really evaluate all of this and decide how long do we really want to own a nice home? Or do we just start selling off all of our stuff, put it back on the market and just live free with no possessions.

I'm pretty sure you should be busy having fun in every room of your new home.

 

[stretch5881]

My wife and I rented a whole 3 months after getting married. We bought our 1st house in 1981 at super high interest rates. 2nd house, 7 years later. It didn't take long to turn this house into our home. We've been here since '88 and couldn't think of a better place to be.
And yes, house and home have 2 different meanings.
Good luck with whatever you decide, as long as you don't kick yourself later.

 

[RadishRose]

Just bought a home, am I supposed to be happy?​

Yes.
Also grateful you have a home to live in.

 

[Blessed]

I am very happy in my home. That said, at this time I would be better off in our first much smaller home. This house is much to large for me but it is mortgage free, in a good neighborhood and comfortable. Feeling safe is a big deal to me now. I like having neighbors I know, that we watch out for each other. I don't think a house is necessary, just a place where you feel at home, safe and happy. If you can put the key in the lock and have that, you are blessed.