The Hunt

After spending two years on the road and having a baby, a young couple decided to put down roots just south of the nation’s capital. Here’s what they found.

After six years in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city, a public-relations pro decided to put down roots and invest long-term. Here’s what she found.

After years of living in employer-provided housing, a retired pastor decided to put down roots in Peoria, Ill. Could she afford the single-story, three-bedroom house she wanted?

After renting for years in Brooklyn and Harlem, Rachel Watts decided to swap shared city apartments for a house of her own in the Beacon area. But how much house could she afford?

After retiring in Seattle, a school teacher ventured to the Lake Geneva area of Eastern France, looking for ‘a small town with lots of cute shops and restaurants.’ Would Evian fit the bill?

When the bathroom leak in her Bed-Stuy rental became too much to bear, an Alabama native looked around Prospect Heights, Williamsburg and Crown Heights for something she could afford to buy.

Having poured thousands into an older house with maintenance issues, a single mother aimed her $450,000 budget at something newer and nicer for herself and her teenager. Here’s what she found.

After decades in Arizona, a couple relocated to the San Francisco Peninsula, where they hoped to find a single-level home with no stairs and plenty of room to host family.

After a decade in rentals, a couple hoped to strike the right balance for their first purchase on the north side of the city: ‘square footage versus access to coffee shops and restaurants.’ Here’s what they found.

With life on the farm losing its appeal, a couple sought a small second home in the heart of New York’s cultural scene.

Looking to explore a new neighborhood in Manhattan and create a better work setup, a couple embarked on a search for a prewar two-bedroom.

Unable to afford a single-family home near their jobs, a young family took a chance on a mobile-home park near the beach. Here’s what they found.

With a new job at Bryn Mawr and a grandchild on the way, an academic looked for the things she couldn’t afford in Manhattan: more space, more green, more parking.

A couple loved living in Sea Gate, Brooklyn, so much that they wanted to share the experience with others. So they looked for a distressed property they could restore and rent to a low-income tenant.

For his first home purchase, a resourceful renter stockpiled a down payment and looked for the ideal spot to invest it.

Taking their second shot at an upstate New York home, a couple went looking for a place with space for art supplies, music gear and chickens.

When two childhood friends from Crown Heights reconnected decades later, all they needed to start anew was an apartment they could share. Here’s what they found.

With two children under 5, a couple of first-time buyers wanted a three-bedroom house with a yard to play in and an easy commute to their new jobs. Here’s what they found.

After getting to know the Queens neighborhood as a renter, a tennis instructor with a job on Randall’s Island went looking for a place of his own in a relatively new building.

Life in Cambridge, Mass., wasn’t working out, so two parents introduced their daughter, who has cerebral palsy, to a new city and a new way of life.

After her husband died, a retired librarian decided to leave their townhouse and strike out on her own in a one-bedroom apartment nearby. Here’s what she found for around $800,000.

Figuring they would need to retire and sell their business before they could afford a new home in the D.C. area, two empty nesters pulled up stakes and tried a place with ‘more bang for your buck.’

After selling the family home in Westchester, an environmental engineer looked to ‘start over’ in the city — with his 23-year-old son in tow. Here’s what he found.

After an unexpected breakup, a college professor explored the co-ops of Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil. Here’s where he landed.

Two first-time buyers discovered that the co-ops in Brooklyn were bigger, but the condos were nicer.

Homing in on Lenox Hill, a young couple figured they could ‘pay the high end of our budget, and have a ready-made apartment, or the low end, where we had room to renovate.’

With the proceeds from an apartment sale and a dream of making wine in Napa Valley, a buyer looked for an investment property to make her money grow.

We featured more than 50 home-buying stories this year, from New York to California to Greece. Here’s a look back at some of the best.

Rather than accept a rent increase, a downtown denizen went looking for a studio he could afford to buy. In the end, he discovered, it all ‘comes down to neighborhood.’

After the pandemic derailed her plans for a life in New Mexico, a retired schoolteacher ‘was ready to go back home’ to Colorado. But Denver and Boulder were too expensive.

With a combined budget of up to $3.5 million, the trio sought a townhouse that could offer communal living space and separate apartments, but options were scarce. Here’s what they found.

As rental prices sagged in the Bay Area, a couple searched for the ideal two-bedroom apartment. When they found it, they had another big decision to make.

Looking to upsize from their one-bedroom rental in Downtown Brooklyn, a young couple scoured Essex County, N.J., for a single-family house they could make their own.

With a long-held dream of becoming a New Yorker, an American expatriate in London trusted her gut, and her broker, to find an affordable place remotely. Here’s how she did it.

Manhattan native Melissa Leo wanted a modest place with some character on the Upper East Side. Here’s what she found.

After 20 years on the Columbia River in Oregon, a retired couple tested the dryer environs of Southern California to be closer to their children. Here’s what they found.

A pair of newlyweds dreamed of a three-bedroom house with a grassy yard for their dog and a reasonable commute to Manhattan. Here’s what they found.

For her first home purchase, an associate professor at Arizona State hoped to find something for less than $400,000, with a little history to it.

Years of living in cheap city rentals set up a single dad to buy the three-bedroom home of his dreams. Here’s what he found for $500,000.

Knowing they would be competing against others from the city, a couple searched Ulster and Dutchess Counties for a house they could afford near the natural wonders they love.

Figuring they didn’t have an ‘elevator budget,’ two renters focused on walk-ups for sale on the Lower East Side and in the East Village. Here’s what they found.

Two years in the community of Celebration, Fla., turned out to be a little too much Disney. A couple wanted a new house in a slightly calmer area — but still with plenty of amusement.

After a few years of renting in Brooklyn, a young couple combed through listings in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill. Here’s where they landed.

A couple of longtime Floridians searched the Windy City for a good location (preferably on Lake Michigan), ample bedrooms and minimal stairs. Here’s what they found.

Two first-time buyers set their sights on Morningside Heights and South Harlem, aiming for a two-bedroom or large one-bedroom in an elevator building.

For one couple, renting near a college campus in Bloomington, Ind., lost its luster after the children moved out. Would $300,000 be enough for a new house?

Miranda Haymon, a theater director and writer, was able to make (and save) money during the pandemic. How far would it go in Brooklyn in late 2022?

A single mother in Oakland, Calif., with a successful career and a modest nest egg looked for a home that would comfortably fit a family of three. These were her options.

A couple of longtime renters searched the West Side for a condo that could accommodate a comfortable work-from-home setup. Here’s what they found.

With a budget of $650,000, a first-time buyer invited her younger sister to share a two-bedroom apartment in the nation’s capital — if she agreed to pay rent. Here’s where they landed.

After years in Quebec, a single mother charts a new course for herself and her teenage twins. But buying sight unseen in New York would be a challenge.

A couple of empty nesters, tired of the humidity and politics in the Sunshine State, headed west to be closer to their children. Which L.A. neighborhood would be right for their retirement years?

A couple of newlyweds, with six grown children between them, wanted to combine their lives in a new Manhattan apartment big enough for family dinners. Here’s what they found.

A couple searched in East Harlem and the Bronx for a modest new apartment that would allow them to entertain friends and commute easily to Midtown. Here’s what they found.

Following a cancer scare, a doctor aimed to expand her Manhattan practice into Long Island. First, she needed a home base. Here’s what her $4 million budget got her.

Outside Rochester, N.Y., the lakeside city of Geneva brims with historic homes. But when a young family went looking, they found few for sale. These were their options.

After settling in Astoria as renters and saving their money, a couple traded up to their own condo. But what was more valuable: outdoor space or a second bedroom?

While other upstate buyers were squaring off in bidding wars, one couple looked for an ‘ugly duckling’ in the hamlet of Kerhonkson to make their own. Here’s what they found.

Feeling restless in Portland, Ore., a couple drove south to their favorite vacation spot and looked for a two-bedroom close to the sea for less than $300,000. Here’s what they found.

Looking to downsize from their longtime house in Westport, a couple strategized about the best way to find a forever home they could afford — with room for a grand piano. These were their options.

Looking to avoid the bustle of downtown, a first-time buyer sized up smaller single-family houses in South Minneapolis. Here’s what she found.

After years of managing a long-distance relationship, a couple decided that buying a small co-op together would be more affordable than renting forever. But they had a few requirements.

She was willing to trade a larger space in New Jersey for a smaller one in New York, but she wanted to check a few boxes. Would her budget be enough?

Wanting to be closer to their adult children, they moved west, knowing they would have to make some compromises to live near Malibu. Here’s what they found.

She wanted to stay in the city; he wanted to decamp to the country. They met in the middle — between two of Manhattan’s best parks.

Looking to put down roots in a new city, a naval officer and his husband considered various purchase plans after their rental apartment became too expensive. Here were their options.

For a couple of pizza lovers trying to buy their first home, finding a new place meant finding the right kitchen, even if it meant a renovation. Here were their choices.

A schoolteacher left her six roommates behind for some privacy and a decent kitchen. But would her budget be enough?

A couple from Miami set their sights on Pangrati, a vibrant neighborhood in Athens, and looked for a home with a view of the historic city. Here’s what they found.

After years of living in an apartment with no closets, a couple decided it was time to move when the rent rose to $2,800 a month. Here’s what they found.