08/31/2026
Controversial opinion… if you’re a buyer entering the housing market, you should be married to your future house, not just “casual” dating it.
What do I mean by that?
House prices are continuing to skyrocket as there’s less inventory, and more demand. First time home buyers are often feeling left out as these bidding wars drive up prices making their “dream home” unattainable.
My advice? Get the “starter house” idea out of your head- as Ryan Serhant just stated in a recent video, they don’t exist anymore.
You’re putting so much money into this investment, that it would be foolish to think short term, and just be “casual” about finding a place to land. I just had a client who closed on their new home say “yup, we’re dying here, so we’re gonna do what we want with it” and started right at the walkthrough plotting what they would do to the house to make it their own. You’re putting a lot of money into this investment, so don’t be afraid to think long term, and look at the opportunity that home presents, to get the maximum return on investment in the end.
Look in areas that you see yourself building a future in, and buy a home that checks MOST of your boxes. Then you can make the changes you want, and sit in that investment as long as you’re comfortable for, or until you have the sufficient equity in your home to sell it and move on to your “dream home.”
My advice to people who want to make a move quick, but don’t want to spend top dollar: look into condos/townhomes. The median sales price for a condo in Sussex County last month was $290,000*. Yes this is still inching up there in price, but it’s a way to “fly the nest,” and own an asset that in 3-5 years time, you may have the ROI to sell it, or even rent it out for an additional stream of income.
This is just my perspective on how things are looking in my neck of the woods- I’d love to hear yours. Agree, disagree, have another piece of advice? Let me know in the comments👇🏼
*According to New Jersey REALTORS®
