Post-home purchase blues? Didn’t expect to feel this way

I’m a first-time homebuyer and I’m having a reaction I didn’t expect, so I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this.

This isn’t regret, and it’s not financial stress. I can afford the house, and objectively it’s a great purchase. I worked really hard for this, saved for years, went through the stress of the search and underwriting, and finally closed on what was a long-time goal of mine.

But now that I’m here… I feel kind of flat. Even apathetic at times.

I always imagined I’d feel proud, excited, and really fulfilled once I bought a home. I did at first, but that feeling wore off pretty quickly. Now it just feels like the emotional payoff isn’t there the way I thought it would be.

One thing I’ve been realizing (and this is a little uncomfortable to admit) is that part of my motivation may have been tied to optics, wanting to feel like I “made it,” or that this milestone would say something about me. And now that it’s done, it’s like… okay, now what? It’s just a house, and I’m just a homeowner.

So I guess I’m wondering: Has anyone else felt a dip, depression, or weird emotional letdown after buying their first home? Did it pass? Did your feelings toward your home change over time?

I’m really glad I bought it, but I just didn’t expect to feel this way afterward.

FWIW, I mentioned this to a friend and she said, “I don’t think it’s the house, I think you might just be depressed.”

Curious if others have experienced something similar.