4 Things About a House You Can't Change -- So Choose Wisely

Let's be honest -- owning a home is always an expensive prospect. Not only do you have to fit mortgage payments into your budget, but you also need to worry about keeping up with ongoing maintenance costs, and homeowners insurance and property taxes tend to rise over time.

And these days, the act of buying a house itself is even more costly and stressful than usual, thanks to higher home values and higher mortgage loan rates. As of this writing, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan is 6.96%, per Freddie Mac. And according to the St. Louis Fed, the median price of a home sold in the U.S. in the second quarter of this year was $416,100.

If you're looking at these numbers and feeling despair, you're surely not alone. And you might be so desperate to get on the property ladder that you'll settle for just about anything in your price point. Think twice about making an offer on a home that doesn't meet your needs on the following qualities, however -- as they can be either impossible or very expensive to change.

1. The location

Location, location, location. There's a reason this factor is so important when it comes to real estate. Consider this before you make an offer on a prospective home, because you won't be able to change it. Is the home in a neighborhood with amenities that are important to you? To use myself as an example, I love to take long daily walks outdoors, and a neighborhood that isn't safe for pedestrians wouldn't be a fit for me. I also like having a grocery store just a few minutes away, and needing to drive farther than a few miles would be a deal breaker.

Your needs are likely different from mine. If you have kids, is the house in a good school district? If you work in an office, will you be signing on for a horrible commute if you buy that house? If you want the "bigger picture," so to speak, of a home's location, take a page from my colleague Christy's book and plug the address into Google Maps so you can get a satellite view of it. Genius!

2. The natural light

Next on the list of qualities you can't change about a home is the amount of natural light it receives. Yes, okay, you can cut down the tree in the side yard if it's blocking a precious south-facing window and you know you want to keep houseplants in that room. Or if the master bedroom gets a bit too much light in the early morning and you like to sleep in, you might be able to address that with an awning, blackout curtains, or a tall hedge.

But there's nothing you can do to change the home's orientation. If you're able to, it's worth making a few visits to a home you're considering buying, at different times of day. This way, you can check out the natural light situation, if it's important to your enjoyment of the home.

3. The homeowners association

Different people have different opinions about homeowners associations (HOAs), but love them or hate them, a lot of Americans live in one. According to data from This Old House, 74.2 million people lived in an HOA neighborhood as of 2021.

If the home you're considering is overseen by an HOA, there's likely nothing you can do to change that fact. So if you're not okay with having someone snooping on your landscaping or telling you what color you can paint your home or even what kind of pets you can have, you might want to steer clear of houses under HOA governance.

4. The square footage and layout

Finally, you will find it prohibitively expensive to change a home's square footage and layout. Angi reports that the average cost of building a home addition comes in at just under $50,000. But the cost can range from $4,500 to $150,000, depending on what work needs to be done and how large of an addition you're hoping to create. That could be a significant percentage of your home's actual value.

Based on how complicated and costly a project like this can be (think architects, permits, and materials -- oh my!), it's best to just buy a house whose size works for you from the beginning. Similarly, if you don't like the placement of the rooms inside, you'll be looking at a nice bite out of your savings account to move walls, wiring, and plumbing.

Luckily, there's plenty about a home that is easily changed. Hate that 1970s wallpaper or want to finish the basement? Changes like these are within your grasp. For the factors on this list, however, it's best to steer clear of a home whose location, natural light, HOA status, or size doesn't work for you.