Why I Just Bought A House (For The 1st Time In My Life At Age 55) | Adam Taggart & Melody Wright

Why I Just Bought A House (For The 1st Time In My Life At Age 55) | Adam Taggart & Melody Wright

Finance Phoenix
Finance Phoenix

Premiered 6 hours ago Thoughtful Money (with Adam Taggart)
LOCK IN YOUR EARLY BIRD PRICE DISCOUNT FOR THOUGHTFUL MONEY'S FALL ONLINE CONFERENCE (OCT 17TH) at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com/confe...

So, yes, after 55 years on this Earth, I've finally become a homeowner for the first time!

Many of you have asked me to share the "why?" behind my decision as well as what the process has been like for me, and if I've learned any valuable lessons to pass along to potential homebuyers.

Housing analyst Melody Wright turns the table in this video and interviews me to reveal those answers.

To hear it all, watch this video.

#homebuying #realestatetips #housingmarket

0:00 First home at 55, and why my situation is not typical
2:34 The long path to deciding to buy
3:08 Looking in Palo Alto in 2003 and the $800k “starter” homes
4:08 Overbidding and losing houses anyway
5:14 Finding the housing-bubble warnings instead of a reason to buy
6:18 Sitting it out, then looking briefly like a genius after the GFC
6:55 Why I still didn’t buy after the crash
7:11 Moving to Sonoma in 2012 and missing the rebound
9:01 Leaving California for Nevada as empty nesters
10:28 Asking Melody, Nick, and others about South Reno
12:57 Melody: this is a personal choice — don’t overextend
15:05 Am I willing to take a loss?
16:20 Years of feeding a house fund
18:33 Why Reno, and why the old “Reno sneer” is outdated
21:48 Mount Rose, Tahoe access, and hunting the view
25:20 The ridge lots and the best view I could find
27:18 The permitted Toll Brothers unit that came back
33:09 Pick the neighborhood first, then the house
37:38 New-build reality: a year to move-in and a two-week design crunch
40:53 How builders make money on upgrades, and using outside contractors
46:35 No outside trades until handover, and the waste of “move-in ready”
50:02 Model homes, sales pressure, HOAs, and protecting the view
56:34 Realtor registration, lot premiums, and how commissions are calculated
59:07 Getting the mortgage, hating debt, and considering an ARM
1:08:18 Owner’s title insurance and the details that raise resale value
1:13:52 Water in Reno, risks you can’t fully hedge, and why others shouldn’t copy me
1:20:22 Where to follow Melody and the Thoughtful Money conference
_____________________________________________

Thoughtful Money LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor Promoter.

We produce educational content geared for the individual investor. It’s important to note that this content is NOT investment advice, individual or otherwise, nor should be construed as such.

We recommend that most investors, especially if inexperienced, should consider benefiting from the direction and guidance of a qualified financial advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators who can develop & implement a personalized financial plan based on a customer’s unique goals, needs & risk tolerance.

All the details on Thoughtful Money's relationship with the financial advisors it endorses, many of whom regularly appear on this program, can be found in the following documents. We highly recommend you review these documents as they cover the terms that will apply should you choose to work with one of these firms at any time after watching this video.

Thoughtful Money Disclosure Document: https://thoughtfulmoney.com/disclosure

Thoughtful Money Agreement: https://thoughtfulmoney.com/agreement

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are risks associated with investing in securities.

Investing in stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, money market funds, and other types of securities involve risk of loss. Loss of principal is possible. Some high risk investments may use leverage, which will accentuate gains & losses. Foreign investing involves special risks, including a greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods.

A security’s or a firm’s past investment performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future investment performance.

Thoughtful Money and the Thoughtful Money logo are trademarks of Thoughtful Money LLC.

Copyright © 2026 Thoughtful Money LLC. All rights reserved.
How this was made
Auto-dubbed
Audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. Learn more
Chapters

View all
Explore the podcast
Thoughtful Money (with Adam Taggart)
681 episodes
Thoughtful Money (with Adam Taggart)
Adam Taggart | Thoughtful Money®

Podcasts
Transcript
Follow along using the transcript.


Show transcript

Adam Taggart | Thoughtful Money®
188K subscribers
Videos
About