Homeowners Are Sharing The Pricier Purchases They Made In 2024 And Deeply Regret

Owning a home comes with many decisions, and sometimes those decisions end in regret. Over the past year, homeowners from the BuzzFeed Community came forward and told us the pricier home purchases they made and ended up feeling like they weren't worth it. So, whether you're a homeowner or not, here are some of the regrettable splurges we saw in 2024 that might have you reconsidering your next big buy in the new year:

1."Remodeling our kitchen. My wife and I no longer cook except on the grill. We spent over $12,000 that could have financed a nice vacation."

2."I built a flagstone patio — nothing too large, about 15 by 20 feet. It was the worst weekend of my life. Digging 6 inches in clay sucked. Making the ground flat sucked. Everything was heavy (the bags of rocks, the bags of sand, the stones), and getting everything level was a pain. Never again."

—Artephius_

3."Marble floors. They are beautiful but a pain to maintain. They stain and scratch very easily, and you can only use special cleaners and mops to clean them."

4."Buying a cheap patio umbrella. They fall apart in one season, and they're expensive! You have to buy it at the top tier or just skip it altogether."

—Anonymous

5."Buying a house with a pool. It was a great buying point at the time, and we used it a lot at first, but I used it maybe three or four times a year. It's a ton of upkeep, maintenance, and repairs. One day, I dove down into the freezing cold water because I had a leak somewhere and lost 250 gallons of water. I suspected the pipe connecting the main drain at the bottom of the deep end had cracked, so I plugged it up. Know someone with a pool; don't own one."

6."Stainless steel wire railings. While they are beautiful and very functional, even the 'marine-grade' ones we bought for our coastal property must regularly undergo cleaning and coating to prevent rust and wear. Meanwhile, our redwood fences and posts are totally fine with an occasional stain touch-up. They were also easy to install, look great, and cost a lot less."

—Nathan, 40, California

7."Clear glass showers. They're a pain to keep clean and do not provide any privacy if someone else is in the room at the same time."

8."High-end windows. We got talked into paying a ton of money for windows described like the ones 'used in the Empire State Building.' We didn't really need windows that were triple thick or energy-blocking. Good-quality, energy-efficient windows would have been fine for about half the cost."

—Judi, Virginia

9."Hardwood floors — ugh. If they're vintage or super high-end, then great, they'll last forever. But the newer, not-so-expensive type that I have? Hard pass. I have two dogs, and even though I frequently trim their nails, it's a disaster. Some hardwood floors can be buffed out, but when Thing 2 decides it's zoomie time, my floor becomes scratch city."

10."Electric radiant floors. In my bathroom, it's really nice during the wintertime. But in my office? Three out of the five sections died after a year, and now I can't keep that room warm enough without a space heater. They're very expensive and not serviceable without ripping up the floors for renovation, so I wouldn't recommend."

—North_Ad_4450

11."My biggest regret is rushing to buy furniture. I wish I had taken my time and bought pieces when I could afford something nice. Now, I have shitty couches that I despise."

12."Saunas. Don't get me wrong, they're really cool, brag-worthy, and exciting...for the first couple of months. After that, you don't really use it all that much because it's either 'too much trouble' or 'it costs too much to heat.'"

—c9belayer

13."A koi pond. Worst decision ever."

14."I bought a lemon of a house. It turned out that it needed new wiring, plumbing, and structural support. The inspector (who I later found out was a friend of the real estate agent) didn't have any concerns about the house. I ended up short-selling it for $15K."

—freezingprocess

15."I regret my granite countertops. They look great but require yearly sealant — which works poorly. Shortly after installation, I had back surgery and was down for a few days. I'd asked my family to wash a roast pan sitting by the sink, and when I finally made it into the kitchen, water from the sink had gotten under the pan and left a rust mark on the granite counter. Additionally, the bathroom granite started crumbling around the hidden sink edge. I spent all this money and can't wait to tear them out!"

16."An outdoor furniture set. We rarely used it; it wore out from sun damage and rusted from the elements. It was a huge waste of money."

—Gio, 71, New York

17."Using black grout in remodeling my bathroom. It looked absolutely beautiful and super modern at first, then after several months of cleaning, the black didn't look black, and imperfections could easily be seen."

18."I bought all new windows for my home and regret paying $40K for the installation. Even though my windows did need to be replaced, I could have found a considerably cheaper brand. The lifetime warranty is somewhat of a joke. I have called several times to report a problem — with no response!"

—Mark, 68, Nebraska

19."I know this is one of the easiest DIYs you can do, but I don't think it was worth painting my own cabinets. They look great, but it took me about two weeks after work hours in a disassembled kitchen. It would have taken a professional with a paint gun about an hour."

20."The hot tub came with the house, but I should have sold it. We've paid $3,000 for fixes since we bought the house, and the hot tub is almost never used. We even moved it and paid to have it disconnected."

—kwinston

21."Wall-to-wall carpet. The amount of sand and dirt that gets trapped, in addition to bugs and other allergens? Imagine having to clean it up. The smells that get trapped in there from animals, sweat, cooking, and cigarette odors easily make it one of the grossest things in a home."

22."Fake grass. It's more expensive and high-maintenance, and it gets stinky, especially if you have dogs. Natural grass is better, and certain types don't need much watering either."

—Anonymous

23.Lastly: "When we bought our house, the previous owners asked if we wanted the pool table. I said, 'Heck yeah, that's awesome!' They just didn't want to move it, but now, for us, it's just a place to fold laundry. I'll leave it to the next person who buys this house."

IDK, I still kind of want a koi pond in my future home. If you're a homeowner, what pricier home project, purchase, or renovation did you end up regretting this year? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using this form!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.