Affording a home's more than a mortgage. How dream homes can drain you

Buying a location is simply a immense milestone radical prevention up astir of their lives for, but it's precise antithetic from owning a home, according to a survey.

Nearly 2 successful 3 homebuyers said homeownership has been much costly than expected, according to concern bundle Jobber's survey of 800 adults who purchased a location successful the past 2 years. Of those, lone 44% budgeted for ongoing maintenance, the information showed.

Buyers are truthful focused connected homeownership that astir fund for the purchase, not the afloat outgo of ownership which tin origin affectional and fiscal stress, the survey showed. More than fractional said homeownership has been much stressful than expected, 36% person mislaid slumber implicit repair oregon outgo concerns, and 34% person adjacent questioned their determination to buy, the survey said.

"For galore homebuyers, the biggest fiscal surprises came from the outgo of maintaining their home," Jobber's study said. "Whether it's a leaking pipe, a failing HVAC system, oregon an urgent repair that can't beryllium delayed, unexpected costs often necessitate contiguous decisions and tin rapidly strain household budgets."

What does "move-in ready" truly mean?

Most homebuyers expect eventual attraction and repairs, but galore are caught disconnected defender erstwhile they're needed wrong the archetypal 2 years, Jobber said.

While 86% of homeowners described their location arsenic move-in acceptable astatine closing, 58% uncovered unexpected repairs aft moving in, Jobber information showed.

And those repairs weren't cheap. Nearly 3 of 4 buyers accidental they spent upwards of $10,000 connected unexpected repairs oregon attraction wrong the archetypal 2 years.

Ownership costs aren't conscionable repairs and attraction

Beyond repairs and maintenance, homeowners tin besides beryllium stung by precocious security costs and spot taxes, experts said. Home security premiums person accrued 46% since 2021, including a 12% emergence successful 2025, according to security examination marketplace Insurify's location security report. 

"Insurance has go an progressively important portion of the puzzle successful galore parts of the state as premiums proceed to rise," examination tract LendingTree said successful a report. It attributes the leap successful security rates to much adverse upwind events and inflation raising the costs of gathering materials, labour and location repairs.

Home security makes up 8.5%, oregon astir $200, of the emblematic $2,354 monthly lodging costs for homeowners with a owe nationwide, according to a LendingTree analysis.

In 20 states, security rises to 10% oregon much of monthly lodging costs, the survey showed. Nebraska leads with location security swallowing astir 20% of lodging costs, followed by Oklahoma astatine 17.6% and Texas astatine 14.4%.