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As below, the cost of maintenance. by IAND75

Others have noted, and I second, that there is general maintenance such as lawn and garden care, snow plowing, etc. But the continuous repair and replacement of stuff which is unexpected and can not be planned for or scheduled. It seems like we live with some sort of carpenters, painters, plumbers, or electricians all summer, every summer. It is all very expensive, time consuming, and frustrating/stressful.

In addition to that there is also the matter of restricting your options to move. If you live in an area, especially a large city, where there is a very active real estate market and increasing home prices it may not be all that much of an issue. It is always an added cost and effort to move. But if you are in a smaller community such as mine where houses can sit on the market for years and prices don’t increase to cover the costs of selling, you are effectively locked in to your home.

That is fine if you make the right choice in buying the home and love your neighborhood and nothing changes is your life or career. But you are definitely giving up a lot of flexibility by buying.

There are many advantages of ownership and we will likely continue to own for the rest of our lives. But it is important to understand just how much you are paying for those benefits. It is fare more than the listed price of the house.