09/23/2026
I've heard different versions of this story many times.
Homeowners in their 80s and 90s will tell me what they paid for their Southern California home decades ago—and sometimes they'll still remember the other house they really wanted but didn't buy because it cost a few thousand dollars more.
“We paid about $30,000 for this house. We really wanted the one that was $32,000, but it was just too expensive.”
At the time, that difference mattered. It was real money, and they made the decision that made sense for them.
Decades later, they're often selling a home worth an amount they never could have imagined when they bought it.
I don't think the lesson is that they should have stretched to buy the more expensive house. And it certainly isn't that we can predict what today's homes will be worth decades from now.
To me, the lesson is perspective.
If you're buying a home you may live in for many years, today's interest rate is important—but it isn't the only thing worth thinking about.
Can you comfortably afford the home? Is it in a place where you want to live? Does it give you the things that will make everyday life better—a quieter street, a shorter commute, a backyard, more room, a neighborhood you enjoy, or simply a garage and easy parking?
Where do you want to live and enjoy your life?
The numbers need to make sense. But so does the home—and the life you'll live there.
I wrote more about that here:
Buying a Home? Don't Let the Interest Rate Be the Only Number You Look At →
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