Few topics in personal finance are more hotly debated than homeownership. Is it better to rent or buy? Should you pay off your mortgage early or stretch it out for 15 or 30 years? Everyone's perspective on owning a home and investing in real estate is so different. That's why we rounded up our favorite quotes about homeownership.

Top Quotes About Homeownership

There's no place like home! After all, Dorothy taught us that in Wizard of Oz. Whether you take the dive into homeownership to finally have a place to call home or you're looking at the investment side of things, there are plenty of things to think about when it comes to homeownership.

So we rounded up our favorite quotes about homes–everything from using real estate to make a fortune to things no home buyer should do. Enjoy!

What Makes a House a Home Quotes

After wading through the rent vs. buy debate, you finally bought a house. But maybe you're wondering what makes a house a home. These are our favorite quotes about homeownership.

1. “Home is the nicest word there is.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. “Home ownership is the cornerstone of a strong community.” –  Rick Renzi
3. “We need to intentionally invest in health, in home ownership, in entrepreneurship, in access to democracy, in economic empowerment.” –  Pete Buttigieg
4. “The American Dream is one of success, home ownership, college education for one's children, and to have a secure job to provide these and other goals.” –  Leonard Boswell
5. “That is the heart and soul of the American dream, homeownership, the idea of being able to buy a house and start to build your family.” – Wendell Pierce
6. “If I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say: the house shelters daydreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” – Gaston Bachelard
7. “Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan
8. “There have been few things in my life which have had a more genial effect on my mind than the possession of a piece of land.” – Harriet Martineau
9. “A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams.” – Unknown
10. “Home is a shelter from storms-all sorts of storms.” – William J. Bennett
11. “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” – George A. Moore

Rent vs. Buy Home Quotes

Personal finance is personal. Still, there's a lot of conversation around renting and buying. Here are our favorite quotes to consider.

1. “The hardest obstacle I've ever had to overcome is probably my first steps into adulthood: paying rent, groceries, cooking, taxes. I was so anxious to grow up, and now I'm wishing I was still a kid.” – Dillon Lane
2. “My priority is to travel. It doesn’t make sense for me to invest in one place when I’m not planning on ever staying in one place for a very long time.” – Anonymous
3. “We live in one of the top places in the country. It’s consistently voted one of the top places to live. We rent a really cute house in the prime spot of town. […] We love living here, and if something goes wrong, the landlord takes care of it.” – Anonymous
4. “I’m tired of the blind obsession with homeownership in America.” – Ramit Sethi
5. “I mean, that's the first thing you learn in any business class. Tying up all your funds in one asset is a pretty silly idea. You're super exposed to any risk and fluctuation in the market.” – Danny Haines
6. “If you look backwards over the past 30 years, buying has been a pretty good choice. But that doesn't mean that buying is going to be the right choice going forward.” – Max Fawcett
7. “It can sometimes be a better financial decision to rent than to own.” – Ramit Sethi
8. “I'd like to have a 15 million Euro villa, but if I can't afford it, I have to look for an apartment that I like.” – Massimiliano Allegri
9. “You don’t buy a house based on the price of the house. You buy it based on the monthly payment that’s going to be principal and interest and insurance and property taxes.” – Diana Olick
10. “We're much too obsessed with the idea of owning a home both as a milestone to adulthood and a financial accomplishment because it's not necessary to own a home to achieve either of those things.” – Bridget Casey

Home Sweet Home Quotes

There's an emotional side of homeownership that also deserves consideration. Here are some of our favorite ways to express the “home sweet home” sentiment:

1. “I believe wherever dreams dwell, the heart calls it home. So may you untangle yourself from the twist of melancholy and ley your thoughts carry you back to the birthplace of your truth.” – Dodinsky
2. “Coming home to my family afterward makes the work richer, easier and more fun.” – Edie Falco
3. “You leave home to seek your fortune and, when you get it, you go home and share it with your family.” – Anita Baker
4. “After you leave home, you may find yourself feeling homesick, even if you have a new home that has nicer wallpaper and a more efficient dishwasher than the home in which you grew up.” – Lemony Snicket
5. “Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.” – Robert Montgomery
6. “The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there.” – Ellie Rodriguez
7. “‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” – John Howard Payne
8. “Home sweet home. This is the place to find happiness. If one doesn’t find it here, one doesn’t find it anywhere.” – M. K. Soni
9. “Let your home be your mast and not your anchor.” – Kahlil Gibran
10. “Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart’s tears can dry at their own pace.” – Vernon Baker   
11. “Peace, like charity, begins at home.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Quotes About Addressing the Issue of Housing

If we're writing a post about homeownership, we have to talk about housing in general. So consider some of the most impactful quotes about housing that you might want to consider.

1. “Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart.” – Matthew Desmond
2. “The pathway to housing should be fair and equitable for everyone, and access to affordable housing is the infrastructure people in our communities need to elevate families into the working class and the middle class. It is the foundation that helps people support their families and contribute to their economies.” – Raphael Warnock
3. “An investment in housing is an investment in family stability, children's success, and the economic health of our entire state.” v Ned Lamont
4. “Fair and affordable housing is a basic right for all New Yorkers and all Americans.” – Nydia Velazquez
5. “We're planting trees to break up the concrete jungle. We're building public transportation and affordable housing.” – Kevin de Leon
6. “Education, housing and hospitals are the most important things for society.” v Zaha Hadid
7. “Imagine a safe city with all the affordable housing we need, a city that uses its resources to help lift the marginalized up and into stability.” v Ted Wheeler
8. “Quality, affordable housing is a key element of a strong and secure [state].” – Tom Vilsack
9. “A strong economy causes an increase in the demand for housing; the increased demand for housing drives real-estate prices and rentals through the roof. And then affordable housing becomes completely inaccessible.” – William Baldwin
10. “Attractive, affordable housing is possible, and I'm out to prove it.” – Dan Phillips

First-Time Home Buyer Quotes

Buying a home is stressful! And if it's your first time? That's a whole different level of stress. So check out our favorite quotes about buying a home for the first time!

1. “You’re actually investing in your future, not buying a home!” – Sarah F. Findel
2. “It’s hard to know what is going on in the real estate market, but it looks like houses sell quickly and then instantly go back into contract.” – Koki Adasi
3. “Choose your location with care. Make sure the best real estate agent is guiding you throughout this process because it all comes down to location!” – Bruce Ailon
4. “The purchase of a residence is one of the most significant financial milestones in your life. It provides both monetary prosperity and emotional security.” – Suze Orman
5. “It’s never too early to buy a house. Every five years is a good year to invest in property.” – Ray Brown
6. “Don’t put it off any longer; go out and buy property now.”– Will Rogers
7. “To buy a nice home is to buy a better way of life.” – Unknown
8. “It won’t be easy, but buying my own home has been a lifelong dream, and knowing that I will only get out of it what I put into it, I’m ready to get a little sweat on my brow and realize my dream to its fullest.” – Jacqueline Watson
9. “Buying a home is a big step up into another echelon of society, of respect, and of, well, responsibility…that is 100 percent worth it.” – Unknown
10. “To purchase a home is to subconsciously gain the respect of many in your community.” – Unknown

Mortgage Quotes

Taking on a mortgage is a big responsibility! So here are our favorite quotes about mortgages.

1. “Even the once simple home mortgage now has so many flavors and styles and variations that it is difficult for people to make a decision.” – Scott Cook
2. “The mortgage crisis is a clear instance of consumers who needed protection. There was predatory lending to people who didn't know what they were doing.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
3. “We have this amazing ability to turn on the exactly same stress response worrying about a mortgage that a zebra does when it's sprinting away from a lion.” – Robert Sapolsky
4. “You don't want to have so much money going toward your mortgage every month that you can't enjoy life or take care of your other financial responsibilities.” – Dave Ramsey
5. “Bad debt is debt that makes you poorer. I count the mortgage on my home as bad debt, because I'm the one paying on it. Other forms of bad debt are car payments, credit card balances, or other consumer loans.” – Robert Kiyosaki
6. “If you're going to live in the house make it your goal to just pay off your mortgage.” – Suze Orman
7. “While I encourage people to save 100% down for a home, a mortgage is the one debt that I don't frown upon.” – Dave Ramsey
8. “Once you get the kids raised and the mortgage paid off and accomplish what you wanted to do in life, there's a great feeling of: ‘Hey, I'm free as a bird.'” – Dick Van Dyke
9. “Every radish I ever pulled up seemed to have a mortgage attached to it.” – Ed Wynn
10. “Foreclosure is to no one's benefit. I've heard estimates that mortgage investors lose 40 to 50 percent on their investment if it goes into foreclosure.” – Henry Paulson

Quotes About Homeownership As An Investment

There's something hugely rewarding about owning your own home. We first experienced it when we took out our mortgage. Then, we felt that thrill again when we paid off our house. But homeownership isn't just about the emotional and psychological side of things. Many people look at homeownership and real estate as an investment, and they have a thing or two to say about it!

1. “I will forever believe that buying a home is a great investment. Why? Because you can’t live in a stock certificate. You can’t live in a mutual fund.” – Oprah Winfrey
2. “Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. “Owning a home is a keystone of wealth…both financial affluence and emotional security.” – Suze Orman
4. “The major fortunes in America have been made in land.” –  John D. Rockefeller
5. “Now, one thing I tell everyone is learn about real estate. Repeat after me: real estate provides the highest returns, the greatest values and the least risk. ” – Armstrong Williams
6. “Buy real estate in areas where the path exists and buy more real estate where there is no path, but you can create your own.” – David Waronker
7. “I made a tremendous amount of money on real estate. I’ll take real estate rather than go to Wall Street and get 2.8 percent. Forget about it.” – Ivanka Trump
8. “Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. More money has been made in real estate than in all industrial investments combined. The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate.” – Andrew Carnegie
9. “Buying real estate is not only the best way, the quickest way, the safest way, but the only way to become wealthy.” – Marshall Field
10. “Perhaps the secret to making a billion dollars in real estate is that there is no secret.”– David Lichtenstein

Most Relatable Home Repair Quotes

There's nothing quite like fixing up a home. Whether it's a simple repair or a full blown remodel, turning your house into a home is a real process!

1. “May your new home be filled with laughter, love, and all the pizza delivery menus you could ever need!” – Unknown
2. “Living through a home renovation is wild. You do whatever it takes to survive.” – Unknown
3. “Renovating a home is like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded. You never know what surprise you'll find.” – Unknown
4. “No trip to Home Depot is complete without two more trips to Home Depot.” – Unknown
5. “A house is made of walls and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams.” – Unknown
6. “Our form of relaxing is taking on new projects for the house. It's not work for us; it's a true labor of love.” – Mark Hellman
7. “Renovating old homes is not about making them look new. It's about making new unnecessary.” – Ty McBride
8. “As we evolve, our homes should too.” – Suzanne Tucker
9. “Some people look for a beautiful place; other people make a beautiful place.” – Unknown
10. “If there's one thing I've learned about home ownership, it's that sometimes you have to laugh instead of cry over a crooked tile.” – Unknown

Words to Remind You Not to Second Guess Yourself

For most people, purchasing a home is the biggest expense they'll ever incur. It's no wonder that it's so easy to get cold feet. If you start to second guess your decision to buy a home, these quotes will remind you to keep going.

1. “Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.” – Will Rogers
2. “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain
3. “Start small and work your way up.” – Sam Dogen
4. “If you’re committed to it, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.”– Adam Contos, RE/MAX CEO
5. “Find out where the people are going and buy the land before they get there.” – William Penn Adair
6. “The best investment on earth is earth.” – Louis Glickman
7. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” –  Walt Disney
8. “There was no big break. There were just years and years of work.” – Paula Del Nunzio
9. “The best time to buy a home is always five years ago.” – Ray Brown
10. “If you’re not going to put your money into real estate, Where else?” – Tamir Sapir

Quotes About Home Design and Remodeling

There's more to owning a home than numbers on a spreadsheet. In fact, as most homeowners can attest, buying a home is actually just the first step on the homeownership journey. Once you buy a house, you get to spend time making it your own. These quotes from top designers and HGTV stars are sure to give you something to think about transforming a house into your house.

1. “If you have unfinished space, finish it. Use it for that extra storage you’re missing. Whatever the ‘it’ is, you’re creating bonus extra square footage.” – Hilary Farr, Love It or List It
2. “Design can have such a positive impact on the way people live and on their relationships and moods.” – Genevieve Gorder, Trading Spaces
3. “The first step in bringing an idea to life is putting pen to paper.” – Drew Scott, The Property Brothers
4. “A few years ago, I realized I was decorating and designing my house around what was beautiful rather than practical for my family. When I made that realization, everything kind of clicked for me. I started being intentional about designing spaces with my kids in mind rather than picture-perfect rooms.” – Joanna Gaines
5. “Renovating not only restores the house but restores the story of the house and the neighborhood. – Unknown
6. “Remodeling is like pulling a loose thread on a cheap sweater – the job keeps unraveling.” – Margo Kaufman
7. “As we evolve, our homes should too.” – Unknown
8. “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris
9. “The best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them.” – David Hicks
10. “Real comfort, visual and physical, is vital to every room.” – Mark Hampton

Homeownership and Minimalism Quotes

We aren't here to tell you what your home should look like! But if you are looking to adopt a more minimalist feel to your home, here are some quotes to get you going.

1. “In our overcrowded homes today, most possessions are not truly “belongings.” They are only distracting us from the things that do belong.” – Joshua Becker
2. “A home that is filled with only the things you love and use will be a home that you love to use.” – Joshua Becker
3. “Modern minimalism has become less strict over time with a wider range of textures and materials, with other cozier layers.” – Bobby Berk
4. “Minimalism is not the lack of something. It is simply the perfect amount of something.” – Najahyia Chinchilla
5. “It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly.” – Bertrand Russel
6. “The more you own the more it owns you.” – Henry Rollins
7. “One can furnish a room very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in.” – Francis Jourdain
8. “Your home should be the antidote to stress, not the cause of it.” – Peter Walsh
9. “When home feels out of control, no matter what the reason, unsettledness and anxiety can seep in, and then the chaos becomes internal as well as external.” – Myquillyn Smith
10. “Outer order contributes to inner calm.” – Gretchen Rubin 

Decluttering Your Home Quotes

Feeling overwhelmed? It happens to the best of us. One of the easiest ways to put a little bit of breathing room back into your day is to declutter your space. Here are some words of decluttering wisdom to help you get started.

1. “Just because something made you happy in the past doesn’t mean you have to keep it forever.” – Melva Green
2. “Look around. All that clutter used to be money. All that money used to be time.” – unknown
3. “External clutter is internal clutter on display.” – Katy Wells
4. “Get rid of clutter and you may just find it was blocking the door you’ve been looking for.” – Katrina Mayer
5. “Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.” – Rabbi Hyman Schachtel
6. “The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.” – Mother Teresa
7. “You buy stuff with your time, not just your money.” – Allie Casazza
8. “You’ll never get organized if you don’t have a vision for your life.” – Linda L. Eubanks
9. “Tidying is the act of confronting yourself.” —Marie Kondo
10. “Remember: you are not what you own. Storing all those books doesn’t make you any smarter; it just makes your life more cluttered.” – Francine Jay

Quotes about Tiny Homeownership

There's no single right way to be a homeowner. Movements like tiny homes and van life have become increasingly popular. These are some of our favorite quotes that sum up why these movements are having such a moment in housing!

1. “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” – Joshua Becker
2. “Love grows best in little houses, with fewer walls to separate. Where you eat and sleep so close together, you can’t help but communicate. If we had more room between us, think of all we’d miss. Love grows best in houses just like this.” – Doug Stone
3. “Small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind; large ones weaken it.” – Leonardo da Vinci
4. “Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.” – Edwin Way Teale
5. “I just want to live in a world of mountains, coffee, campfires, cabins, and golden trees, and run around with a camera and notebook, learning the inner workings of everything real.” – Victoria Erickson
6. “Look for chances to take the less-traveled roads. There are no wrong turns.” – Susan Magsamen
7. “It’s okay to live a life others don’t understand.” – Jenna Woginrich 
8. “Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not things to show.” – unknown
9. “Normality is a paved road: it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it” – Vincent Van Gogh
10. “The journey itself is my home.” – Matsuo Basho

Cautionary Homeownership Quotes

There's a lot to be excited about when it comes to buying a home. But there are also some things to consider–from unexpected expenses you have to budget for to making sure that your house fits your lifestyle. Here are some words of wisdom (or perhaps woe!) from homeownership experts.

1. “It's easy to underestimate the real cost of home ownership.” – Suze Orman
2. “Buy a home far enough out of the city that the traffic isn’t heavy but close enough to the city that they still deliver pizza.” – Unknown
3. “Be aware that some people will sell you a dream and deliver you a nightmare.” – Unknown
4. “You can’t have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you.” – Marissa Mayer
5. “One saying that needs to have its proverbial status revoked is the well-known real estate adage, ‘Buy the worst house in the best neighborhood.'” – Spencer Raskoff, co-founder of Zillow
6. “Watch out for things that are difficult or impossible to fix. If the floor plan won’t work for your family today, it’ll be even worse in five years.” –Dave Ramsey
7. “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” – Mahatma Gandhi
8. “The goal is to find you and your brood a place where the culture and values of the [area] match yours. You can always trade up or down for a new home, add a third bathroom or renovate a basement.” – Alison Bernstein
9. “Taking on more mortgage than you can afford is like dropping an atomic bomb on your finances.” – Dave Ramsey
10. “A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it.” – William Feather

Final Thoughts on Quotes about Homeownership

Like so many things in personal finance, owning a home is such a personal decision and a unique experience. While we can certainly take advice from others, it's also important to remember that your journey will be unique. No matter what your journey looks like, we hope these quotes about homeownership leave you with something to think about.

For more inspiration on your family's financial journey, check out the Marriage Kids and Money Podcast!

What are your favorite quotes about homeownership? What other words of wisdom or cautionary tales would you share?

Please let us know in the comments.