Fellow blogger Len Penzo asked some of us what our worst buyer’s remorse stories were, and it took me all but .3 seconds to recall mine.

It was a BIG one (the most expensive purchase of our lives) and it drives me crazy to think about. But regardless of all my huffing and puffing, I’d never take it back as it got me to where I am today – financially aware.

Do you know what it is yet? I’ll give you another clue: It rhymes with “mouse”, and we live in it. Here’s what I sent over to Len – in all it’s honest glory (and before you say it, no, the market crash is not the reason for my remorse. It doesn’t make me feel any better, but it’s not the reason).

Whenever I hear “buyer’s remorse,” the first thing that comes to mind is my house. Not that it was the only thing I’ve ever questioned (I can’t even count THOSE numbers of times), but just that it’s the only product you can’t return and get your money back when you need to ;)

We all know there are pros and cons to owning a home, but if I had known what I know today, I’d be still renting and enjoying a more stress-free life. Financially I won’t ague that owning is better than renting, but people should realize that owning is NOT for everyone – especially if you get antsy and like to move every few years just for the adventure (like me). I love our house dearly, but what I wouldn’t give to be back in the city rockin’ out a cozy 1 bedroom condo!

Now is this anyone’s fault other than my own? Nope. And have I learned a lot about getting my finances on track and being more responsible? Oh yeah. But If I could do things over (and keep the knowledge I have now), I would totally go back to renting and feeling “un-trapped”. Whether my wife would be okay it or not, however, is a whole other story ;)

Ahhhhh, the joys of being a home owner. I’m pretty sure my military upbringing can account for 99% of my feelings here. The wifey says I should learn to get used to it and work on settling down in one place, but when you’ve moved around your whole life it gets pretty hard. And weird. I’ve lived in over 20 different houses, how the heck does a guy like that just stop and stay still?

Well, I’m sure I’ll learn to at some point. But for now, I just make due with the situation and try my hardest to enjoy what we’ve been blessed with – a beautiful house we can afford and live comfortably in. It may not be a perfect lifestyle right now (and it sucks that it’s under water), but at least I learned my lesson and got it out of the way. It feels good knowing I won’t make the same mistake twice :)

Next time, we put in more research and take a good hard look at our options before just jumping in. Did I ever tell you we signed a contract within 48 hours of seeing this place? When we accidentally drove by it? Even though we were looking for an apartment to rent? Yeah, we sure did. And we were crazy….even if it was our “dream home.” Now what you got?