Everyone says don't make big decisions for a year after a windfall. Does that include the house?
It's a good default, not a law. The waiting-period advice exists because money this new tends to make decisions feel urgent that aren't. Nothing about a house requires the first year, and the market will still be making houses in year two.
But life doesn't always cooperate with clean rules — a lease ends, a parent needs you closer, the current house was always temporary. If the move has real reasons, the answer isn't waiting on principle. It's slowing the process down inside the purchase. Rent first if the next chapter isn't designed yet. Look longer than feels productive. And never buy a house to resolve the feeling of limbo. Limbo resolves on its own. A wrong house doesn't.
If it helps, use me as the unhurried voice in the room. I have no timeline for you. We move when the reasons are yours.
I wrote this answer, and I stand behind it. I'm Chris Deutsch, a Minneapolis Realtor (MN #20382264). Twenty-five years of walking these neighborhoods, checking basements, and sitting across kitchen tables from people making exactly this call. I re-check every answer and date it — this one was last verified .
If your situation is more specific than the market, that's the one worth talking through. Email me at chris@lakesarearealty.com.