Or how empty your bank account will be."
Well, I hate to break it to you, but that’s just the beginning.
Recently, I asked homeowners of theBuzzFeed Communityto share thehidden coststhat they weren’t prepared for financially or otherwise.
“Having all the things you need in your house.
They dont just show up or come with the house, usually.”
Anonymous
3.
“Honestly, its the general upkeep!
Your pretty white house and cedar exterior fence need to be power-washed occasionally.
Your lawn will die on you if youre not constantly watching.
Your exterior landscaping tries to go alljungleon you if you look away for 10 seconds.
Its a never-ending, wildly expensive battle to protect your investment.
“For me, the hidden cost was my social life and individuality.
It’s very lonely.
I spend most of my time now managing the home, cleaning the home, and repairing the home.
What I don’t spend in time, I have to spend in money.
kelly
5.“Heat!
Living in the Northern US means cold, long winters and so many additional expenses.
6.“Insurance.
If you go with the bare-bones minimum requirements to satisfy the lender, you WILL regret it later.
When it comes to homeowners insurance, you very much get what you pay for.
And yes, we have to pay separately for each.”
“Big one: weather damage.
Frozen pipes, hail damage, wind damage.
Sure, insurance will pay for some of it, but then they raise your rates or drop you.
Or the company drops an entire region.
And insurance doesn’t cover fallen trees or tree limbs that have fallen unless they fellonyour house.
And if your neighbor’s tree falls onto your property, it’s your responsibility.”
“This may seem strange, but outdoor storage.
I ended up having to have a shed built.
Youre going to see your house when its empty and think you have plenty of storage space.
Trust me, you don’t.”
jmacxjr
9.
It gets expensive quickly especially when you live in the desert.”
“We moved into a new development in a distant suburb of San Francisco.
According to our homeowners association, we had 14 months to install landscaping and a lawn.
But he was a Vietnam vet hit by Agent Orange.
“Our HOA was a bully and wouldn’t give an extension on landscaping.
Anonymous, California
11.
It takes heavy equipment to move large limbs and large piles of debris.
You must also hire a truck or two for disposal.
Costs run up to $3,000 a year, sometimes more.”
And dont get me started on ‘wind-driven rain.'”
CourtesyFlush
13.
“Half-assed DIY projects from previous owners.
Our very old dishwasher leaked, and water got underneath the kitchen floor tiles.
They started cracking, so we decided to pull them up.
The tiles were laid directly on top of the concrete floor.
Some were stuck down with mortar and some with caulk.”
“We built our house in a beautiful neighborhood.
Almost exactly one year after we moved in, we received a bill for $800.
Hank S.
15.
“In certain places, you must have flood insurance.
“Time and mental labor.
The time it takes to figure out whats broken and how to fix it.
Time to call and vet contractors if needed safely, too, if thats a concern for you.
Timeismoney in homeownership especially referring to the single female homeowner, in my case.
Ive molded this house around my personality, and I love it.”
Anonymous, 40, Colorado
17.
I did NOT see that coming.
Do your research, people.”
“All the hidden surprises.
Fortunately, we had money saved up for a trip that we could divert to these unexpected expenses.
None of those things were visible or able to be discovered during the walk-through or inspection.
Everything was working great for months after we moved in.
Just be prepared that anything you rely on in your house can one day just stop working.”
Match Wolf
19.
Property taxes are going the same way, and Im so grateful I bought a townhouse.”
Our water bill was insanely high due to a tiny water leak we couldn’t locate for a while.
Unfortunately, it ran over 300 feet from the city water lines to our house.
Now, polybutylene piping is illegal to patch up, so we had to replace the whole line!
Cost us a pretty $10,000.”
I do the same every spring once we’ve thawed out.
You’d be amazed how often you catch things once the ice has melted.
Oh, look, a new leak?
Great…”
22.
I live in a condo of less than 900 square feet.
My friend lives in a 2,500-square-foothousea county over.
My property taxes are more than double his."
Driving Miss Crazy
23.“Windows.
I bought an older condo with single-pane windows.
It would literally rain on the inside in the winter because of the condensation and drip everywhere.
Never buy a place with single-pane windows.”
“Something is constantly breaking.
Anonymous, 38, Texas
25.
“We moved into our new home in December.
Theres no way the previous homeowners wouldnt have known, but no way for a home inspector to assess.
It cost $14,000 to waterproof the basement and then maybe $25,000 to refinish the basement.”
“I describe owning a home as a constant battle against water.
irienewf
27.
Plan for it by not maxing out your budget with your house payment.”
“The amount of time spent on projects and upgrades saps up all my time.
wylyjoan
29.
“Septic system emptying.
I had no clue we were not on a sewer system; we had a septic tank instead.
“First-time homebuyer here.
We got an inspection and figured we knew exactly what we were getting into.
Turned out, the entry line going into our house broke, so check for that!
Month 1: We get termites, but minimal damage.
(To future us: Ask about any pest control the previous owners had done.)
Year 1: Because the house sold, appraisers appraise it way higher!
We paid a wild amount in property taxes, and our monthly payments went up $400!”
Jennifer Cameron
31.And last but not least: “The biggest hidden cost is literally everything.
When you rent, so many things never occur to you; you just pay monthly and live somewhere.
When you own, everything is on you.
Learn how to take apart the trap or pay a plumber $150 just to show up.
Is the toilet running or dripping?
Or how empty your bank account will be.”
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
