{"id":6715,"date":"2026-10-12T10:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/12\/why-most-people-are-still-glad-they-bought-a-home\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T10:48:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:48:01","slug":"why-most-people-are-still-glad-they-bought-a-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/12\/why-most-people-are-still-glad-they-bought-a-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Most People Are Still Glad They Bought a Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

$\"Why$ \n

With everything going on, it\u2019s understandable if you\u2019re wondering if you\u2019d regret buying<\/a> right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Everyday expenses cost more. Mortgage rates<\/a> are higher than you\u2019d like. And when the economy feels uncertain, taking on a mortgage can feel like a much bigger leap. But here\u2019s some perspective that may help\u2026<\/p>\n

Most people who already made that leap would do it again.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to a recent survey from NerdWallet, <\/em>the vast majority of recent buyers (74%) were glad they bought their current home. Only a very small 3% of people regret it:<\/p>\n

$\"a$ <\/p>\n

And here\u2019s a big reason why so many people feel it was worth it, even now.<\/p>\n

Homeownership Is a Long-Term Play<\/strong><\/h4>\n
When you\u2019re deciding whether to buy, it\u2019s easy to focus on what\u2019s happening right now. What\u2019s today\u2019s mortgage rate? Are prices going up or down? Those things matter. But don\u2019t get so caught up in buying in the perfect moment that you miss the bigger picture.<\/p>\n
A home isn\u2019t typically something you buy for just a year or two. It\u2019s a longer-term play. And when you zoom out, it all starts to fall into perspective \u2013 especially if you look at home prices<\/a> and equity<\/a>.<\/p>\n
According to data<\/a> from the Federal Housing Finance Agency<\/em> (FHFA), home prices nationally have risen 33.4% over just the past five years<\/strong> (see map below<\/em>):<\/p>\n
$\"a$ <\/p>\n
And that appreciation has helped current homeowners build some serious wealth. Research from Bankrate<\/em> shows homeowners gained an average of nearly $150,000 in wealth over the past five years<\/strong> as equity steadily rose across 90% of major metro areas.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s one of the biggest benefits of homeownership. As you pay down your mortgage and your home appreciates over time, your ownership stake \u2013 your equity \u2013 can grow.<\/p>\n
Now, Zoom Out Even Further<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The five-year numbers are impressive. But the numbers get even more dramatic when you look at decades instead of individual market cycles.<\/p>\n
FHFA data<\/a> shows home prices nationally have risen 336% since 1991. <\/strong>Sit with that for a second. Three hundred percent (see map below<\/em>):<\/p>\n
$\"a$ \u00a0<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean prices go up every single year. And it doesn\u2019t mean buying is automatically the right decision for everyone today. You should only buy when the numbers (and the payment) work for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n
What it does show is why trying to perfectly time the market can make you miss the bigger picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over time, homeowners gain a lot of equity. And that equity can eventually become a powerful financial resource. As Freddie Mac<\/em><\/a> explains:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
\u201cYour home\u2019s equity is part of your total wealth as a homeowner. If you decide to sell your home, the equity you have built over time will come back to you in the sale. . .<\/em><\/p>\n
If it\u2019s time to upsize or downsize, you can use that cash for the down payment on your next home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Basically, if you can afford to do it, buying a home now could set you up for future moves.<\/strong><\/p>\n
And just in case you\u2019re someone who\u2019s worried<\/a> about what happens if prices do fall, after you buy, remember: you\u2019re not buying for one year.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Prices can dip. They have before. But historically, they\u2019ve risen far more over the long run. And the longer you own your home, the more time you have to ride out those ups and downs and keep building equity.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Bottom Line<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t let today\u2019s uncertainty make you lose sight of what homeownership can do over time<\/strong>. Most homeowners say they\u2019d make the same choice again. And decades of home-price growth help explain why.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re wondering whether buying makes sense for you right now, connect with an agent to look at the numbers together \u2013 and what owning a home could mean for you in the years ahead.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With everything going on, it\u2019s understandable if you\u2019re wondering if you\u2019d regret buying right now.\u00a0 Everyday expenses cost more. Mortgage rates are higher than you\u2019d like. And when the economy feels uncertain, taking on a mortgage can feel like a much bigger leap. But here\u2019s some perspective that may help\u2026 Most people who already made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6716,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[29,27,20,18,28],"class_list":["post-6715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-insight","tag-idaho-real-estate","tag-north-idaho-homes","tag-rain-silverhawk","tag-real-estate","tag-sandpoint-idaho"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t