When purchasing a home, many first-time buyers fixate on the upfront expenses they'll incur, from the home inspection to legal fees to the down payment. Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's just the beginning. Recently, I asked homeowners of the BuzzFeed Community to share the hidden costs that they weren't prepared for — financially or otherwise. From their submissions, these are the realities that any current or future homeowner should know about before it's too late.
And if you've come across any hidden homeownership costs of your own that you'd like to share with us, you can do so in the comments at the end of this post or through this anonymous form.
1. "Be aware that you are responsible for the cost to repair your main sewer line from your house to the company line, which is typically in the middle of the road in front of your house. If your house is older and has either clay or cast iron for the mainline pipe, find out where it is located, and if there is a tree close to it, get a sewer line scope to find out if roots have broken through yet. Be prepared: When this happens, it will cause a nasty backup in your house and be very expensive to repair. We spent $13,000; that was for repairing 10 feet of the damaged line and a PVC sleeve insert for the remaining 50 feet to prevent future root intrusion. We did that after watching our neighbors have their yard dug up twice in two years because of roots."
2. "Having all the things you need in your house. All your parents’ tools, flashlights, trash cans, etc. all had to be bought when they got a house. You don’t think about it as a kid or even a young adult, but you have to drop money to have all of those things around for when you need them as an adult. They don’t just show up or come with the house, usually."
—Anonymous
3. "Honestly, it’s the general upkeep! Your pretty white house and cedar exterior fence need to be power-washed occasionally. Your lawn will die on you if you’re not constantly watching. Your exterior landscaping tries to go all jungle on you if you look away for 10 seconds. The pretty trees outside your house are worth thousands of dollars in curb appeal and need the care of an arborist. It’s a never-ending, wildly expensive battle to protect your investment. I would buy my house again knowing what I know now, but I would probably get a Xanax prescription first."
