I don't think we did badly on the home buying thing. We have bought only one home our entire lives and still live in it.
The location is superb, the neighborhood is superb, the neighbors are superb. It is walkable, bike-able, car-able. It is located between 2 ponds on a cul-de-sac, so is also relatively quiet and traffic free despite being able to walk to grocery store, drug store, vet, dentist, doctor, restaurants, high school, elementary school, middle school, fire station w/EMT, churches, job, etc. The home cost less than $200,000, too, for a McMansion of 4 br, 3.5 ba, 2 car garage.
Do we love it? No, not really, but is perfectly fine. We have minimal furniture, virtually no wall furnishings, a nice open kitchen plan, and a great site plan that makes the home very energy efficient because of trees and direction of sun.
But the home value has appreciated less than the rate of inflation over the years.
Thankfully, the neighbors don't sit outside with music blaring, smoke from a fire pit blowing into our faces, and making noise. We only hear the songs of the birds and chatter of the squirrels. OK, since the hawks moved in, it is more their high-pitched "cree! cree!" and less bird songs.
When we move, we will probably miss all the good stuff about this home, but for now I think we take it for granted. We will certainly want some of the same location features in any new home we move to.