Buyer Satisfaction Rises as Market Slows
Regret among recent buyers has declined as purchase timelines lengthen, though younger buyers remain more likely to question their home decisions, Realtor.com reports.
NEW YORK — Buyer satisfaction has risen as the housing market slows, giving buyers more time to prepare for homeownership, according to Realtor.com’s 2025 Consumer Attitudes & Usage Study.
This year, 37% of recent buyers reported no regrets about their recent home purchases, up from 31% in 2023. The share who felt they overpaid fell to 8% in 2025 from 15% in 2023. Researchers associated the shift with a calmer market buying pace.
The typical home spent an average of 63 days on the market in October, nearly two weeks longer than two years ago. Laura Eddy, vice president of research and insight at Realtor.com, said, "As the market has shifted to be more of a buyer's market and some of those pressures have alleviated, the buyer has more time to think through implications. They don't necessarily have to, or they don't feel like they have to put in an offer the first time they see a house."
Eddy also pointed out that today's buyers are entering the market with cleaner budgets, stronger credit and significant downpayments. Meanwhile, the survey found that 16% of home buyers complained about higher-than-expected maintenance needs, 15% noted increased household spending and 14% said their savings were depleted.
Regret varied by age, with 60% of baby boomers reporting none, compared with 45% of Gen X buyers, about one-third of millennials and 27% of Gen Z buyers.
Source: Realtor.com (11/20/25) Farberov, Snejana
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