Buying a House During the Three Weeks
Question
If one has been looking for a house for over year and finds there dream home in July and then the 3 weeks comes are they allowed to be in the contracting period / buying time ?
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question!
The first Nine Days of the month of Av are days on somewhat intense mourning over the destruction of the two Temples and, by extension, the exile of the Jewish people.
In order for us to better feel the mourning of this period, the rabbis enacted a number of restrictions. One of these restrictors, as you clearly know, is buying new things.
The restriction on buying new things includes buying items that are meant to give us pleasure. Common examples of this “category” of items would include jewelry, fancy dishes, and a car. It is, however, permitted to purchase routine items that are needed for routine living. This would include a new air-conditioner if one’s current air conditioner breaks, a new phone if lost/stolen/broken, or even a car if needed for business and other primarily non-pleasure needs.
There are some exceptions in the event that not purchasing such items will result in the inability to purchase them after the Nine Days or if not purchasing them would result in a monetary loss. Even in such instances, it is preferable if arrangements can be made to merely give a deposit for such items and then take possession of them after Tisha B’av.
As such, if need be, you would be permitted to purchase your during the Nine Days if there is a concern that it will not be available if one were to wait, or if the price might go up.
If its still before the start of the nine days then if a person is planning to buy the house not just to live alone but to share with others like a spouse or family then one may buy the house in any case since one blesses the blessing of Hatov ve'hameitiv which is permitted. If however one is planning to buy the house for oneself then the blessing is shechiyanu which one may not buy something which will be shehechiyanu. Therefore one may buy house only in a case of avoiding a loss.
Source
OC 551 and commentaries