I bought a home, and honestly, I have some regrets.

"You bought a home? Congratulations!"

I recently bought a house, and
I sometimes receive words of celebration from people around me.

I am very grateful for that, and I am actually happy.

I changed jobs, bought a house, and from the outside, it seems like "my life is going smoothly."

But, to be honest,
I have something I regret quite a bit.

In fact, lately, because I made such a big decision in my life, I have more time to think, "Was this really the right thing to do?"

"Wait, after such a big life decision?" you might think, but
today I will write about that as honestly as I can.

▼ Self-introduction article

Three things I regret

1. I was too intimidated by the monthly payments

One of the major pillars in choosing a home is price.
While running payment simulations, I was honestly intimidated.

"Will I be able to keep paying hundreds of thousands of yen for decades...?"

My biggest concern was the anxiety that "by buying an expensive house, I won't have any room in my budget, and I might have to give up on having multiple children."

So, I chose a property that was slightly lower in price for our household income.
(Even so, the monthly payment is quite high...)

Once I started living here, the monthly payments were indeed kept down.
However, in exchange, things like location and distance from the station were naturally sacrificed.

I chose my current home thinking about the future.
But, my current satisfaction was sacrificed to some extent.

If I could do it over again, I might have paid a little more to choose a location I really liked.

I don't know which is the correct answer, but
since you can't buy and sell a house many times in your life, I think now that I could have been a little more honest about "what I really want right now"."

2. It wasn't a decision made after looking at "all the options"

When I was looking for a house, I was honestly quite anxious.
Before I knew it, I was only looking at properties under the assumption that it had to be a "condominium," just like my parents' home.

After moving in, I would see advertisements for detached houses on Instagram, and
"Wait, isn't this location better than where I am now, and the price isn't that different...?"
I've thought that several times.

If I had compared them and decided that "a condo is definitely better," I don't think I would have any regrets, but in reality, I didn't even compare them.

The fact that I made my decision with such narrowed options might be my biggest regret.

3. I wish I had acted sooner

This goes without saying, but condo prices have risen significantly over the past few years.

I think most people only start looking for a house in earnest when they are "forced by necessity," such as for marriage or childbirth.I was the same way.

But what if I had started looking, even just a little bit, right after I got married?

I think the result would have been different by several million to tens of millions of yen compared to now.
I feel like the time I spent procrastinating, thinking "it's still too early," ended up costing me quite a lot.

To those who will buy a house in the future

Since it wouldn't be right to just list my regrets, here is a summary of what I want to tell those who are about to buy:

• Look at all the options
  Condos, detached houses, pre-owned... Making a "decision" with narrowed options can lead to regrets.
  

• When it comes to budget, sometimes being bold is important
  Preparing for the future is important, but if you suppress your "true feelings of the moment" too much, it will become a seed for regret later.
  

• If there is even a slight possibility that you will buy in the future, act early
  The time you spend thinking "it's still too early" is a cost in itself.

A house is not something you can buy and replace many times in your life.
This is especially true for the average person.

I understand all too well the feeling of being cautious because it is an expensive purchase, but
I think it is best to choose as early as possible, while also valuing the courage to be bold.

...Having written all this,
I also want to keep in mind that whether my choice turns out to be a good one depends on me.

▼Reference article