My former home ended in disaster. I bought at the top of the market and sold at the bottom as a short sale after it sat on the market 3 years. We had to relocate for my husbands job, so we had to move. Now we are looking to buy a new home, it has been a couple of years and I am still gun shy. The prices are starting to go up up up so we need to buy now or we will be buying at the top again. I do not want to overspend or overbuy. My husband wants to spend a lot more than I do. So we are meeting in the middle as a compromise. Now I need to find a home that he will like closer to our median price point. I understand I am irrational about what we can afford, we can afford well more than even he wants to spend, but I just don't want to be stuck paying a mortgage and rent at the same time again. I'd rather buy something we can easily afford and have less worry. When looking at homes, the realtor of course is trying to push the budget up. And reigning my husband back is difficult he gets all super excited over these ridiculously big spendy homes. I guess this is how he feels with everything else we buy where our spending roles are reversed. Getting a taste of my own medicine.