8 Psychological Traps in Home Buying and How to Avoid Them

Dusty Rhodes • September 30, 2024

Our brains can sometimes trick us into a buying a home that doesn't fit our needs. Following these tips could help minimize buyer's remorse.


If you’ve ever made an impulse purchase, you know what it feels like to have your brain seize up and focus only on the shiny thing in front of you that you absolutely must have. If the shiny thing is a coat you can’t afford, the consequences of overspending to buy it are probably pretty small.


If it’s a home, however, you could end up spending a lot of money on a place that doesn’t fit your needs. It’s one reason why it’s important to be aware of some of the psychological traps that can drive decisions that defy logic when viewed strictly through a lens of rationality.


Those traps can lead to buyer’s remorse, which is surprisingly common among home buyers. According to a Zillow® survey of buyers in 2022, 75% of those who had successfully purchased a home in the past two years had at least one regret about the home they bought. Those regrets ranged from underestimating the amount of yard work, to failing to consider the location of bedrooms.


Here are some common traps and tips for avoiding them.


1) Overconfidence


You find a home online that seems perfect, and spend an hour lingering over the photos and the 3D Home® tour. By the time you arrive for the in-person tour, you’re already in love, so much so that you start minimizing obvious problems. The crack in the foundation? It looks pretty small. The water marks on the bedroom ceiling? Probably just an old leak. And so on. You utter the words “We can fix that, easy” so often that your partner starts to worry. 


If that’s you — and you’re not a contractor — you’ve fallen into the trap of overconfidence: being so optimistic that you downplay the possibility that anything negative could happen from buying a home that needs more work than you can reasonably pay for or tackle yourself.


How to avoid this trap


Get a great inspector who can find significant problems in the home, and give you an idea of what it will cost to fix them. Your agent may also have a stable of experts they can call to give you an idea of what might be involved in repairing problems.


2) Neglecting the future you


Let’s say you’re a newly married couple buying your first home. You don’t have kids or pets or a bunch of stuff, so you focus your search on homes that fit your current lifestyle. In doing so, you discount the future, giving more importance to your current needs than what you might need in five years or so.


How to avoid this trap


Think about “future you” and what your life is likely to look like in five years. If pets and/or kids are in the plans, or if a relative will be living with you at some point, factor them into your thinking now unless your plan is to move again to accommodate expected changes in your life.


3) Failing to negotiate


When homeowners list their homes for sale, the listing price typically reflects what they hope and expect to get in the current market. As a buyer, that’s the first number you see and it may determine whether you’ll even consider the home. This trap is called anchoring — a tendency to use the first number or piece of information as the baseline for decision-making. But in certain markets and during certain times of year, it may be possible to negotiate a lower price. In the fall home shopping season, for example, the market is slower and sellers tend to cut prices on homes that have lingered on the market.


How to avoid this trap


Lean into your agent’s local expertise to find out whether price cuts are common in your market. You also can explore whether a seller might be willing to discount the price in exchange for something else they value, such as a rent-back agreement that will give them breathing room to shop for their next home. 


4) Acting impulsively


When competition for homes is fierce, buyers need to be prepared to act quickly to make an offer on a home they like. But acting quickly when you’ve worked out your buying budget, determined what’s important in a home, and obtained pre-approval from a lender is not the same as acting out of a sense of urgency solely because homes are in short supply. 


How to avoid this trap


Do the groundwork for buying, starting with getting your credit in good shape. Work with your agent and loan officer to understand the market, what you can afford and what home features will best suit your needs. 


5) Ignoring information that challenges our beliefs


This is known as confirmation bias, and it involves ignoring information that doesn’t conform with our existing beliefs or putting greater weight on information that confirms what we already believe. For example, if you held firm to a belief that interest rates would drop dramatically this year, and put off buying a home based on that belief, you would be paying an even higher rate today. 


How to avoid this trap


Stay up to date on market trends and tap your agent’s expertise. Even experts can’t time the market or say with certainty what’s going to happen to interest rates or home prices. Instead of discounting information that challenges your beliefs, seek it out and factor it into your decisions.


6) Getting stuck in the past


Imagine you’re shopping for a home, and your fond childhood memories are so powerful they prevent you from even considering a different style of home than the one you grew up in. You spend hours in search of the perfect replica, ignoring your partners’ pleas to compromise and at least tour some other homes.


How to avoid this trap


Think about how you want to feel in your home and what you can do to evoke those feelings. It may be that certain paint colors or tile or the layout of a home will be enough to recreate the nostalgia you’re seeking.

7) Fixating on one thing, and losing sight of the big picture


Many of us know the feeling of getting so attached to something that we ignore or minimize some obvious red flags. For instance, you may fall hard for an outdoor kitchen in a home that has a yard requiring a ton of upkeep. You hate yard work, but buy the home anyway, thinking the yard won’t be a big deal — and then find yourself mowing for an hour every weekend. Or maybe you get so fixated on the thought of your kids or your pets having a yard to roam in that you might not fully consider what it might feel like to commute an hour to and from work.


How to avoid this trap


Make a list of what you want — and do not want — in a home before you start shopping, and stick with it. Having a cool outdoor pizza oven or a big yard isn’t going to make you suddenly love yard work or commuting long distances. 

8) Moving ahead with a purchase because of the money and time you’ve spent finding it


It can be crushing to find a home, and discover after you’ve written the offer, applied for the loan and ordered the inspections that the home has a flaw that cannot be easily remedied. You may even think that you’ll never find another home after looking for so long.


How to avoid this trap


Take the long view. Imagine living in the home five, 10 or even 14 years from now. Is the flaw going to drive you up the wall? If the flaw is expensive to fix, think about the other things you’ll be giving up to fix it. 


Emotions and logic 


Home buying can be a struggle at times because it requires us to reconcile our heart and our mind. Giving yourself guardrails and accessing good information can make reconciling both easier.


The great thing about making decisions is that, ultimately, you’re the only person who can know what’s right for you. Trust your gut. If you’ve done all the work — asked the right questions, relied on correct facts, listened to trusted advisors and determined the degree of risk involved — chances are you’re well on your way to moving forward to the next chapter in your life.


Source: Zillow



Dusty Rhodes Properties is the Best Realtor in Myrtle Beach! We do everything in our power to help you find the home of your dreams. With experience, expertise, and passion, we are the perfect partner for you in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We love what we do and it shows. With more than 22 years of experience in the field, we know our industry like the back of our hands. There’s no challenge too big or too small, and we dedicate our utmost energy to every project we take on. We search thousands of the active and new listings from Aynor, Carolina Forest, Conway, Garden City Beach, Longs, Loris, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, and Surfside Beach real estate listings to find the hottest deals just for you!

Share

How To Make Sure Your Sale Crosses the Finish Line

By Dusty Rhodes • November 10, 2025
If there was one simple step that could help make your home sale a seamless process, wouldn’t you want to know about it? There’s a lot that happens from the time your house goes under contract to closing day. And a few things still have to go right for the deal to go through. But here’s what a lot of sellers may not know. There’s one part of the process where some homeowners are hitting a road bump that’s causing buyers to back out these days. But don’t worry. The majority of these snags are completely avoidable, especially when you understand what’s causing them and how to be proactive. That’s where a great agent (and a little prep) can make all the difference. What’s Causing Some Buyers To Back Out The latest data from Redfin says 15% of pending home sales are falling through . And that’s not wildly higher than the 12% norm from 2017-2019. But it is an increase. That means roughly 1 in 7 deals today don’t make it to the closing table. But, at the same time, 6 out of 7 do. So, the majority of sellers never face this problem – and odds are, you won’t either. But you can help make it even less likely if you know how to get ahead. You might assume the main reason buyers are backing out today is financing. But that’s actually not the case. The most common deal breaker today, by far, is inspection and repair issues (see graph below):

Planning To Sell in 2026? Start the Prep Now

By Dusty Rhodes • November 3, 2025
You’ve got big plans for 2026. But what you do this year could be the difference between a smooth sale and a stressful one. If you’re thinking of selling next spring (the busiest season in real estate), the smartest move you can make is to start prepping now. As Realtor.com says : “If you’re aiming to sell in 2026, now is the time to start preparing , especially if you want to maximize the spring market’s higher buyer activity.” Because the reality is, from small repairs to touch-ups and decluttering, the earlier you start, the easier it’ll be when you’re ready to list . And, the better your house will look when it’s time for it to hit the market. Why Starting Now Matters Talk to any good agent and they’ll tell you that you can’t afford to skip repairs in today’s market. There are more homes for sale right now than there have been in years. And since buyers have more to choose from, your house is going to need to look its best to stand out and get the attention it deserves. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to do a full-on renovation. But it does mean you’ll want to tackle some projects before you sell. Your house will sell if it’s prepped right. And you don’t want to be left scrambling in the spring to get the work done. Because here’s the advantage you have now. If you start this year, you’ll be able to space those upgrades and fixes out however you want to. More time. Less stress. No sense of being rushed or racing the clock. Whether it’s fixing that leaky faucet, repainting your front door, or finally replacing your roof, you can do it right if you start now. And you have the time to find great contractors without blowing your budget or paying extra for rushed jobs. Get an Agent’s Advice Early To figure out what’s worth doing and what’s not in your market, you need to talk to a local agent early. That way you’re not wasting your time or money on something that won’t help your bottom line. As Realtor.com explains : “Respondents overwhelmingly agree that both buyers and sellers enjoy a smoother, more successful experience when they start early. In fact, a recent survey reveals that, for sellers, bringing a real estate agent into the process sooner can pay off significantly. ” A skilled agent can tell you: What buyers in your local area are looking for The repairs or updates you need to do before you list How to prioritize the projects, if you can’t do them all Skilled local contractors who can help you get the work done And having that information up front is a game changer. To give you a rough idea of what may come up in that conversation, here are the most common updates agents are recommending today, according to research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR): 

How to Move Out After Selling a House

By Dusty Rhodes • October 13, 2025
From the first coat of paint you used to freshen up your house’s trim to the stress of wrangling your way to a deal, you’ve been through a lot in that place. Now you’ve made it to the final hurdle of selling a home: moving out! Don’t worry, this is the easy part… but you want to do it right. Here’s how to get through the last leg of your journey without any bumps along the way. How to move out on time Once the paperwork is signed at closing, the buyers will officially own the house—and you won’t. That means that, technically, if you or your stuff is still there after the close, “the buyer could evict you,” says Joshua Jarvis , founder of Jarvis Team Realty in Duluth, GA. So make sure to have your exit strategy in place! Still, most buyers will understand if you need a bit more time and have a legitimate reason—like if you can’t move until the weekend due to your work schedule. Just be sure to discuss these issues as soon as possible before the close, so your buyers can plan accordingly. Decide what to leave behind To make sure you’re leaving behind everything the buyer wanted—and that you agreed to—double-check the closing documents . There should be an itemized list of what comes with the house . And even if the buyers didn’t formally request them, it’s just good form to leave certain types of things behind. Such as? “Generally speaking, you should leave anything that’s bolted to the wall,” says Jarvis. “Some homeowners want to take their fans and blinds to the next home, but generally if it’s screwed in, it stays.” Also, if you and the buyers agreed to transfer any services—such as alarm monitoring or pest control —be sure to set that up before you go. Leave the buyers a detailed note in the house, or ask your agent to get in touch with theirs to make sure the transfer goes smoothly. If you do inadvertently take an item that the buyers had requested, they have the right to ask for it back—and they could potentially sue you in civil court for the cost of a replacement. So, when in doubt, feel free to check with the buyers before you grab and go. But don’t leave anything else behind Just as important as what you leave behind is what you don’t. Your buyers have a right to move into a home that’s been cleared of furniture and other movable items they didn’t expressly request. “Some folks leave all kinds of unwanted clothes, furniture, paint cans, and other items, thinking they are helping the buyers,” Jarvis says. If you truly think your buyers might love to have your old planting pots or kiddie equipment, go ahead and ask—but please don’t assume they’ll welcome your leftovers. Even if you’re careful, you might forget something—at which point the buyers may contact their agent to get it back to you, but they also have the legal right to just keep or get rid of it. So double-check areas (e.g., the attic, garage, basement, storage shed, kitchen, and bathroom drawers) where people commonly overlook items. Clean up It’s common courtesy to leave the place not only clear of your possessions but also clean. However, that doesn’t mean you have to leave it immaculate. “Generally, you shouldn’t have to pay to have it deep cleaned,” Jarvis says. In most cases, a simple broom-clean will do. That means wiping down the countertops, cleaning out drawers, sweeping or vacuuming all the floors, and giving the bathroom and kitchen appliances a once-over so the new owners aren’t grossed out when they arrive. Are you forgetting anything? Before you close the door for the last time, run through a quick checklist. Did you eyeball every room for stray items? Have you forwarded your mail and turned off the utilities? Is the water running in the jacuzzi? We all get in a bit of a rush even in the best planned moves, but you won’t be able to get back in, so it can’t hurt to do a final run-through before you move out. Once you’re ready, it’s time to leave. You can drop a line to your real estate agent to let them know you’re out, although it’s usually a courtesy more than a necessity. If you’re feeling truly gracious, feel free to leave a note, card, or bottle of bubbly congratulating the people who’ve inherited your former home. Given all the fond memories you’ve built between those walls, wouldn’t it be nice to start the home’s new owners off on the right foot? And buy yourself some Champagne, too. Make it the good stuff—you’ve earned it.