Maintenance affordability largely depends on if you're paying someone to do the work vs doing it yourself. Until you own a fixer-upper yourself, you don't really realize how bad the regulatory capture on home repairs has become.
True. OTOH, the great majority of potential modern-day homeowners lack the necessary strength, dexterity, aptitudes, attitudes, skills, tools, time, timeframe, etc. to DIY a real fixer-upper.