This article was originally submitted on 04/25/2025 to the National Association of Realtors' web blog. The final publication might be different than this version. I decided to post this version on our site and will remain unedited. Enjoy!
Timeless Advice for Home Buyers of All Types
The house you buy will shape your days. Where the sun rises in the morning, how the air smells when the wind changes, what you hear at night when the world has gone to sleep. Whether you are flush with cash or counting every cent, the frame of good decisions does not change. You are choosing how you'll live by choosing where to live.
Here are some that have served me well:
Live Below Your Means
There’s no glory in being house-poor. A grand home bought with borrowed money can become a gilded cage. The roof still leaks. The taxes still come. And when the A/C breaks in July, it won’t care about your ego.
Buy what you can afford and less than that, if you can manage it. Keep money aside. Keep peace. The home should serve you, not the other way around. A modest place with a full pantry is richer than a mansion with chandeliers and unpaid bills. Don't let pride write checks your future can't cash.
Don’t Ignore the Disclosures
The seller tells you what they know. What they’re legally required to say. Mold in the attic. Water in the crawlspace. A hairline crack that came after the last hurricane. It’s all there, written in the disclosure—if you care to look.
Many don’t. They skim past the pages. They trust when trust has yet to be earned. They fall in love with the porch swing or the smell of fresh paint. But love doesn’t stop a foundation from shifting or a roof from leaking.
Read these documents like your future depends on it—because it does. Hire the inspector. Ask the hard questions. If the answers come slowly or sideways, pay attention. Homes have histories, and some of them are written in water damage and old carpet.
It’s better to walk away from a deal than to limp away from a mistake. Read this if you need tips on how to do that.
You Can't Renovate Location
You can change almost anything about a house—add rooms, rip out floors, build a deck. But you can’t move the street it’s on. You can’t fix the traffic. You can’t magically move it closer to your job, your friends, or the places you love to spend time in.
A great home in the wrong place will always feel a little off. So choose wisely.
Think Long Term
Don’t buy for the moment. The moment will pass. The granite countertops, the LED fixtures, the deal that feels urgent—these are traps if you don’t look ahead. Look five years out. Ten. Will the stairs still suit your knees? Will the neighborhood grow or will it shrink? Will the land hold its value if the world changes, as it always does?
The best homes are not flashy. They are steady. They weather time like a good pair of shoes. Buy one that will still make sense if you still own it when your hair turns gray.
Final Word
In the end, buying a home isn’t about clever tricks or short gains. There is no perfect house. Only houses that become homes because someone was smart enough to choose wisely and patient enough to let time do its work. That someone can be you.
Step carefully. Choose clearly. Then settle in and live the hell out of it.
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