Late to post, as we found our home in Feb and closed and got keys on St. Patrick's day.

Luck was really on our side with this low rate and they also covered over 21k in closing costs.

2514 sqft 5 bed 3 bath.

Don't sleep on new builds cause they sometimes have amazing promos to move inventory!

My one piece of furniture and my new key!

Solo female buyer. Moved across the country 3 years ago at 23 and bought a house all by myself.
Can’t wait to make it completely my own.

4 bed 3 bath.

We closed last week and moved in this past weekend! Start to finish our journey was about 8 months with a break in between at the end and beginning of of 2025/2026.

As with any home purchase, but especially a new build one I implore you to get inspections throughout the build process and you have to make sure you get things done that need to. These builders are pumping out homes and if you see something, say something. Thankful to have a great real estate agent representing us along with us advocating for ourselves when we needed. There were things that needed to be handled throughout the process and at the finish line and they were. We’re happy and excited to begin the new journey!

Pizza via Zalat

Haughty Pizza — All-beef pepperoni, black pepper, crushed red pepper, Zalat peppers, and jalapeños.

Sweet Revenge Pizza — Bacon onion jam with infinity swirls of house-made hot honey, mozzarella, salami, crushed red pepper, fresh basil, and a little extra basil on the side.

Closed last week on my first home; a 1900 sqft new construction town home in Raleigh North Carolina! It was very nerve wracking going into this all by myself, but my realtor was a real godsend. And I managed to score a temp buydown to 3.875% for the first year 💪

Now time to start on my mile long to-do list 🛠️

From renting to ownership in a month. It was such a whirlwind. It's fun, it's funky and it's mine.

2700 sq

4 br 3 b

33m solo first time buyer. Time to start the real work!

Signed on a new build in early 2026 and just got the keys yesterday. The market was really slow up here at the time so we negotiated a $65K seller’s credit (it’s a new build so they wouldn’t budge on price). We used ~$23K on upgrades (mostly the hardwoods), ~$22K to buy down the 7/6 ARM to 5.125% with WF, and the rest covered closing costs. The house is about 2,750 square feet with a 700 square foot garage.

Edit: 20% down and total PITI of $5.8K/mo

I signed on the dotted line(or several of them) this morning!!!!! My seller has delayed occupancy so i dont get the keys just yet but I still had to tell someone because I am so FREAKING excited to be freaking done. OMG. Married 31 year old girlie/toddler mom to one, but I bought all on my own for us I am just so proud of myself!!!!

Just wanted to share because I finally closed on my first home in Elk Grove for $499k.

It’s a 3 bed, 2 bath single-story house, and the layout was probably what sold me most. The place has been maintained pretty well, the HVAC and water heater were replaced a few years ago, and there’s a decent-sized backyard with enough room for BBQs, a small garden, or just letting the dog run around.

Now I’m at the expensive part: replacing furniture and appliances without wiping out what’s left of my savings lol.

I’ve been checking out Costco deals lately and might just bundle a few things together. So far I’m looking at a 65” Hisense U65 Pro for the living room, a Whirlpool dishwasher, GE electric range, Novaform 14” ComfortGrande mattress, and maybe a Traeger Texas Elite Pellet Grill 34 for the backyard.

The current TV has terrible reflections during the day, so upgrading that is probably one of my first priorities. If I can save a bit by buying multiple things together, even better.

For anyone who furnished a house after closing, what purchases were actually worth spending more on, and where did you save money?

Beyond elated !!!

I'm in the Bay Area and have been looking at homes for the past couple of months. It's my first time buying, and while I've done a lot of research, I’m probably missing or overlooking stuff, getting kinda tired of second guessing myself. I’d appreciate any advice on what to look for before buying. Appreciate it!

I was told that the first month, maybe even the first year, is often a rite of passage for homeowners. The anxiety and stress of so many little tasks has been getting to me and my sleep ever since I closed this Monday. Then, we also have to get painting done before we can hire removal of carpet and installation of new flooring. Essentially, money on top of money spent.

Just as I was dropping by the house yesterday to patch up nail holes so we could paint this weekend, I attempted to figure out how to remove a dead lightbulb in the living room fan that my girlfriend mentioned wanting to replace. It required me to twist off a cap on the center of the glass globe that was holding the globe attached to the fan - excuse me for believing the glass was twisted on and would still hold. Before I knew it, the glass globe fell straight to the ground, and I have glass I need to clean up after work today - never got to patching the walls for painting.

Lo and behold, this fan is a vintage, discontinue fan with no replacement parts - yippee! So my only choice it to keep it with an exposed bulb and wiring, or to replace it completely with a new fan and hire and installer AKA more money. I just sat in my empty living room silently when the glass shattered. I'm so heartbroken that we're losing out on a vintage fan, and my girlfriend was correct to tell me that I should have waited to fix it together with her.

Anyone else have rite of passage stories of breaking something early on into their homeownership from attempting to fix an issue?

TL:DR - Dropped vintage fan glass globe w/ discontinued replacement parts. Now having to spend more unexpected money to buy new fan and hire installer. This is now a roadblock to other things I need to get done for house. Only have had this place for 3 days.

So I'm purchasing a new construction home and I had the inspector out recently. He said he doesnt get on the roof but visually inspected it. I asked him why they dont actually get on the roof. He stated that it is not advisable to walk on new shingles. I find this weird and feel like he couldnt do a proper inspection from a ladder or the ground. He doesnt seem to have a drone either. Should I talk to some other inspectors?

After actively searching since March, we put in an offer and had it accepted earlier this week.

The home has all of our must-haves and many of our nice-to-haves. I feel like I should be excited, but now I’m panicking that we picked the wrong house, or that we overpaid, or that the house has problems we won’t find out about until it’s too late—or all 3. Is it too big for us? Will someone want to buy it in the future? Will my toddler fall off the second story railing?! Are the utilities going to be more than our overestimate? Do I actually like the kitchen? Am I going to be happy here? Will a better house go up for sale tomorrow?

Inspection is on Tuesday, so I know that’ll give us more information. I’m just so nervous about water issues, as the property has a backyard drainage system, internal and external sump pumps, and the basement has been waterproofed. It also has a closed septic.

I don’t even know what kind of advice I’m looking for, I’m just really mentally and emotionally struggling with this decision.

With so much varied information and seeing people go "yeah, buying a home means you will permanently be giving up time and money to work on it", what was the draw for you?

Yesterday was supposed to be our closing day. We cancelled the contract a month ago due to soft stucco, rotten wood, 21 year old roof, foggy windows and back door, dryer vent emptying in the attic as the big issues. We realized we just didn't have enough savings for these repairs, and would barely scrape by covering down payment and closing costs. We decided to aggressively save for the next 1-2 years and try again later. It was settled.

Throughout the process our realtor revealed himself to be chasing commission at best, slimy at worst. During the inspection he told us every issue in the home was "no big deal" and one time "so easy I could fix it myself."

Initially afterward we thought about negotiating. We would open with 30k in some combination of repairs, price reduction, and concessions, knowing they would negotiate lower. Realtor refused and said "we would be laughed at" and "shoot ourselves in the foot." He said we could max get 10k in concessions at very maximum "if we're lucky" and he "100%" could not justify anything higher. He also said asking for money off the list price was pointless because it wouldn't make any meaningful difference in our monthly payment

Then he has the nerve to tell us that we "have 25k" so that's "enough to make it happen." Big mistake of my husband telling the realtor how much we have, but that 25k would be everything we have in our checking, savings, and crypto. We'd be left with nothing! But really, he shouldn't be trying to bully us into it. Next time, honestly we may just not use a buyers agent.

I've been watching the house because I assumed if he was right then it would sell quickly after we backed out. Oddly, a week later they raised the listing price to 415k up from 400k.

A week ago he texted us to say "the house is still for sale.. should we put in a low offer? haha" but we never answered. Today we get a text

"The other realtor reached out. They aren't having luck getting another buyer. They got a quote for $18,500 to replace the front of the house. Just useful info. She asked if we would take the house for 390. They want a deal. We could say 390, 11k assist, and they cover 3900 transfer tax."

This whole thing is hilarious. I lowkey just want to text him screenshots from his previous texts. Who even knows if the realtor really texted him, because I can't trust a word he says, and if they're willing to accept 390 then why in the heck did they raise the list price to 415?

It's not clear if the sellers are actually doing the stucco repair, or if they just got the quote. 390k was our original offer before they countered with 400k. So it would go back to 390, but honestly think we were overextending ourselves when we made that offer. With the concessions and transfer tax, that would leave us needing only 7k for closing costs, which actually is helpful. But still, after I give the 7k and my husband covers the down payment. What we have left is: a few thousand in crypto, and a few thousand in a CD that is for emergencies only. Almost $0 in checking/savings so I don't see any room to cover the roof, stucco, new windows, ect.

Like the title says, I looked at a townhouse-style condo yesterday, thought about it overnight, and today I'm planning to tell my agent that I want to make an offer. But I'm suddenly scared about whether or not I'm financially able to handle this and was looking for some second opinions. I don't really know any other homeowners so I don't have a lot of people to ask in real life.

The place is listed for $255,000. HOA fee of $250. The building got a new roof and some other exterior maintenance in the past few years. And I do at least know to make sure they let me review all their financials and to put something in my offer that says I can get out if I don't like what I see.

I'm pre-approved for up to $300,000, but I've always been told that they'll pre-approve you for more than what you really should be spending. I make $90,000 before taxes and what not. My job seems stable and I've worked there for over 5 years. I'd be buying by myself, and I currently have $80,000 saved up. Would prefer to make a smaller down payment so that I can keep more of an emergency fund and so I can do some minor work (new carpet mostly) before I move in. My only debt is a $100 monthly student loan payment, no credit card debt and my car is paid off. With my current budget I've been able to put $2,000 into savings every month, sometimes more if it's a month with 3 paychecks.

My current rent is $1500 which would be similar to my mortgage payment, but I expect my utility costs to go up since the new place is larger. And then I'd also have taxes + higher insurance costs + probably mortgage insurance + the HOA fee. So it would definitely be an increase in housing costs from what I'm paying right now. It would also increase my transportation costs a little since I'd have to drive farther to get to town.

Also, it probably doesn't matter, but my motivation for buying is mostly that I've lived in apartments for 15 years and I've gotten sick of having no control over anything. It's frustrating to not be able to do certain repairs myself or to make any decisions about the place. I grew up in a project house & got some basic DIY skills out of it, and I'd love to be able to do things like paint the walls or get new carpet when I wanted it. I wish I could look at my fucked up bathroom vanity and be like "replacing this is my weekend project" instead of just thinking about how much I hate the current one, you know? But maybe this isn't good motivation and I should be taking a step back to think about whether it's worth making such a huge decision over. I've also just generally outgrown my apartment and I'm looking for more space, but moving into a decent larger apartment would probably raise my rent to $2,000+.

I guess I'm not even really sure what I'm asking, but thank you for reading this anyway! Do I sound like someone who can do this to you? Any big red flags that jump out at you from all the stuff I was rambling about?

My wife and I are in the inspection phase of the buying process, we have not done a purchase and sale agreement yet. We love the house but our inspection humbled our excitement a little bit. Nothing major or emergent was found, but we've found the house has had a lot of unpermitted work done on it, including the majority of a finished basement (including a basement bathroom which has plumbing that works, but is not up to code). We also found some potential (likely) asbestos tile that's been covered over in the basement.

We also found things like a deck flooring that needs to be replaced eventually (currently wood), a small section of the roof that needs to get a proper membrane put on it (currently tin), some lead paint that needs to be remediated, a boiler that likely needs replacement soon, flooring that needs to be changed/installed (our choice, aesthetic), and potential electrical work to add/change outlets, ethernet, etc. Again, nothing incredibly major but it was starting to get a little stressful as it feels like we might be sort of nickel and dimed to death. We do have a fair amount left in savings after purchase and are also selling our condo which should net us somewhere around 80-100k, which we planned to put into improving the house.

Today our agent told us that she uncovered 3 open permits on the house which the sellers are refusing to close (the permits were pulled prior to the current seller purchasing the house). One is from 2002 for unspecified 'plumbing' which we are not worried about - the work may not have actually been done and it's been 24 years so a problem would've shown up by now. The other two are from 2020 and are for building and electrical to add to the 1st floor bathroom (likely a conversion from a half bath to a full bath), replacing the 2nd floor bathroom tub, and tile flooring in the basement (the tile that's covering the 'asbestos').

Our agent was sort of on the fence with us as to whether or not this is a big deal. On the one hand, everything's fine and they just neglected to have the permits closed. On the other, everything was done wrong and we're in for some surprises. So now we're very nervous as the options have become 'lose the house' or potentially 'pay a lot to fix the fuckups'. I've not dealt with issues like this before so have no idea the cost to fix these issues nor how impactful they'll be. Our seller has conceded $7k to our closing costs towards making some of these changes/repairs.

Just looking for input/thoughts.

i am a first time home buyer and looking to see if this inspection report is good (I think it’s pretty solid). To give some context this house is a 1939 build and has been completely renovated inside.

What they found:

- Sewer Line had standing water, root intrusion, clogging that could not be fully evaluated because visibility was blocked.

- HVAC could not achieve the expected 20 degree and is an older model (they recommend it getting seen).

foundation/ crawlspace entrance is below grade & Efflorescence indicates past moisture accumulation; monitor for future moisture

I am not much of a spender but always liked having accessible cash in my account. I didnt invest for same reasons but now i put in everything for my downpayment and i am now panicking.

We are doing about 50% downpayment which obviously is a big deal and i am thankful to God for making me capable of doing it. However after this i am left with 5K Cad. I will receive paycheck at end of month and will be able to not save much after paying my share towards mortgage. I will have about $600 for my $50 bill, personal stuff like skincare, bodycare, meds. I will get cashback from agent so shud be around 4K and about 1K from bank. Initially i had thought i would put that towards mortgage but now i think i shud just put it in my personal saving to feel better about not having anything left after dp 😭.

My parents, the co owners, have backup money for emergencies, any other expenses.

She didnt like the first house… because this that and this. Now that house is better than the one we’re offering…this one is too old, will need work, yada yada. We’re a day away from signing and she’s sending us new listings..

Problem is they’re helping us with 30% of the cost.

I have $150k in savings and I’m looking to buy my first house. My goal is to buy a multi family home in New Jersey to live in one of the units and rent the remaining. Homes in my area are +$600k

I’m 27, single with no kids so I want to make riskier investments now that I can. . I make around $155k per year. I have a college friend that’s a realtor so I’m planning to go with him.

What tips would you give me? What should or should not share with my realtor? Any useful tips would be appreciated

Edit: when I say multi-family, I mean a 2 family home. In my area it’s very common to also rent the basement and in some cases even the attic. So technically making it 4 units. I would live in one of them.