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Article created by: Vėja Elkimavičiūtė

Buying a place to live can be stressful, especially if it's your first time. Whether it's finding proper insurance, getting much-needed maintenance done, or planning for future upgrades, there are so many unknowns and things to worry about.

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To figure out the biggest and most common complaints about the whole process, Reddit user Californiabred made a post on the platform, asking: "Homeowners who bought recently, what's your biggest regret?" Immediately, people from all over the world started sending in their answers.

#1

Toddler struggling with a faulty child safety gate, one of the worst purchases by homeowners causing frustration and safety concerns. Don't bother childproofing your home. They still get in.

Blueblackzinc , Jep Gambardella Report

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    #2

    Worn wooden deck floorboards showing damage and dirt, illustrating some of the worst purchases by homeowners Not recent, but I still regret not refinishing the floors before I moved in. I'll never do it now.

    WinterFilmAwards , Hal Gatewood Report

    #3

    Paint tray with a roller covered in white paint, illustrating one of the worst purchases homeowners made during renovations. I bought a house from a contractor that flips homes. Never again.

    gshtrdr , Karl Solano Report

    #4

    Home inspector wearing a yellow hard hat and vest examining a door during a homeowners worst purchases review. Hiring the wrong home inspector they missed so much,I really have to wonder if all those reviews were bought and paid for.

    CaptainQuoth , RDNE Stock project Report

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    #5

    Crowded urban street with shops and restaurants, illustrating challenges related to homeowners’ worst purchases outdoors. Not knowing enough about the area/town. I hate where we live ☹️ hoping we can move by the time my oldest starts kindergarten

    MP1087 , Diogo Palhais Report

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    #6

    Person picking a ripe red apple from a tree branch in a lush garden, illustrating common homeowner purchases. Not planting the fruit trees sooner. It’s a long wait :)

    SageLeaf1 , Skylar Zilka Report

    #7

    Large gray house with stone chimney and porch surrounded by lawn and palm trees, illustrating worst purchases by homeowners. I’m in awe of anybody that was recently able to buy a house.

    forevertheyo , Sieuwert Otterloo Report

    #8

    Two homeowners sitting in chairs outside traditional brick homes surrounded by well-maintained garden hedges and flowers. Not being born in the 50s

    Mufasasalad , joyce huis Report

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    #9

    Couple moving bulky items and boxes in a spacious living area, illustrating worst purchases homeowners made. Not doing a walk through before closing and not having the sellers fix the electric before I signed the contract. My two biggest regrets.

    AmandasFakeID , cottonbro studio Report

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    #10

    Two homeowners sitting on a couch looking tense, illustrating the stress of worst purchases made by homeowners. Buying and then four months later getting divorced.

    q1ung , cottonbro studio Report

    #11

    Homeowner with hammer and tool belt working on brick wall highlighting worst purchases in home improvement. I bought a few years ago. So many things have gone sideways. One thing I regret is not being educated about permits. Contractors/handymen/ anyone who works on your house really, never mentions a permit may be needed. Learned that it’s up to me and me alone to do the research and phone calls. Currently have a job on hold because they needed a permit. The company blamed me and now I’m not sure they’re even going to do the work. Watch the movie The Money Pit. It’s not that far off. Some days I wish I’d just be a renter.

    MissPeppingtosh , Life Of Pix Report

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    #12

    Rusty round drain grate on concrete pavement illustrating worst purchases by homeowners in home maintenance. The inspector told us the main drain in the basement was clogged. We thought it was clogged with something normal. It was, in fact, "clogged" with cement from when our basement floor was redone. So now our basement regularly gets standing water on one side.

    doctorpotterhead , Mick Haupt Report

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    #13

    Aerial view of suburban neighborhood homes surrounded by colorful autumn trees in a residential area. The situation when you bought a house where it was possible and a month later they sell a house in the area where you wanted

    BenefitOk3952 , White.Rainforest ™︎ ∙ 易雨白林. Report

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    #14

    Charming small house surrounded by lush greenery and flowers illustrating worst homeowner purchases. I should have bought a smaller house with money left to renovate instead of a larger one with nothing left over. There are so many weird quirks with this place that I would love to change but I’ll probably have to wait 10 years. I’m doing all the changes that I can do myself but there’s just so many to do and some are way outside my knowledge base.

    alltherobots , Vicky Sim Report

    #15

    Hand holding house keys with keychain near a door lock, illustrating common homeowner purchases and mistakes. Not buying 4 years ago.

    3rdPartyArbitor , Maria Ziegler Report

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    #16

    Hand wearing glove holding a drywall finishing tool applying plaster on an interior wall in a home renovation project. Not learning more about home maintenance before buying and moving in. Nothing major has happened thankfully but after a few years I've realized how little I actually know about taking care of a house and how it's affecting my utilities and comfort. Not to a degree where I regret buying the house, but if I could go back and do it all again I'd take care of some things sooner/differently and would probably have better results.

    linkman0596 , Ksenia Chernaya Report

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    #17

    Man in blue blazer holding brown leather briefcase walking on gray pavement, illustrating worst homeowner purchases. Buying a house we weren’t super psyched about but we needed a house due to moving for a job.

    GODHatesPOGsv2024 , Marten Bjork Report

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    #18

    Close-up of a white car headlight parked in a driveway representing worst purchases by homeowners. Not particularly recent, but we did not pull out cars in the driveway or attempt to park them. So we didn't realize that my car could only enter the driveway from one direction, so I had to turn around half a block up every time I needed to park. And we just BARELY got two cars in the driveway. So my regret is that I took for granted that the driveway met our needs.

    gtizzz , Sarah Brown Report

    #19

    Suburban home with metal roof and chimneys surrounded by greenery, illustrating worst purchases by homeowners. Interest rates

    anon , Aubrey Odom Report

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    #20

    Dark bedroom with an attic window and unmade bed, illustrating one of the worst purchases by homeowners. Not looking in the attic, they built a new roof over the old one. Gonna make remodeling hard.

    SleepyCountingSheep , Christopher Farrugia Report

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    #21

    Suburban homes with well-maintained lawns and sidewalks illustrating common worst purchases by homeowners. Buying in an area where my house is the most expensive one. Everyone else's prices are driving mine down. It's making it harder to sell for what it's worth.

    two_slow_joe , Zac Gudakov Report

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    #22

    Modern bathroom with glass shower enclosure, double sinks, and decor highlighting worst purchases by homeowners. Bought literally last week. Wish i had more bathrooms but its fine. I plan on building one in basement.

    Apprehensive-Crow-96 , Sidekix Media Report