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by swimorsinka
1796 days ago
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Huge +1 to this. Don't get me wrong, I've been in my house for 10 years, and I probably won't go back to renting, but I think most people wildly underestimate these things. In the first couple of years I remember getting so irritated by all the time it took to take care of the house and yard. Nowadays, I've gotten used to it, and I view it as a welcome distraction from work, but that definitely wasn't true in the beginning. Even paying someone to do all these things is a large hassle. You have to be at the house to meet contractors, get competing bids, worry about the contractors doing stuff wrong, etc. I also think people wildly underestimate maintenance costs.
I bought a 50 year old house, 10 years ago. I don't think I've had a single year where I didn't have to spend 10K on maintenance. I always wonder how most people handle these expenses - and then I realize that most people just don't take care of their houses. |
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It's always been a problem for me. My work keeps me so busy (that's how I can afford the house) and much of the limited free time I have goes to my son's activities. The only thing that allows me to get it done is that my son is old enough to help me.
> I don't think I've had a single year where I didn't have to spend 10K on maintenance.
I kept hearing $150-200 a month for maintenance before I bought my house. That was just a bit on the low side. I had one year where I paid 20K for maintenance on a house less than 20 years old. There's always something, and if you postpone your maintenance (when it's even possible) you're going to have to find a way to catch up in the future.