There's a moment every first-time buyer has. The one where the excitement of "I'm buying a home" quietly turns into "wait — what did I just get myself into?"

I know that moment. Not because I read about it — because I've lived it.

I grew up in Japan, raised by a military father who moved our family every few years. New city, new school, new home — over and over again. I learned early that home isn't just four walls. It's safety. It's belonging. I...