Seasoned homeowners weigh in on what caught them off guard, what delighted them and what lessons you can learn from them.
Let’s cut to the chase: If there’s one thing that seems to take first-time home buyers by surprise more than anything else, it’s maintenance. This includes the amount required to keep a home functioning, the cost of it and how it never seems to end.
That’s the consensus that emerged when we asked homeowners on Facebook, “What are the unexpected aspects of homeownership everyone should know?” Overwhelmingly, a majority of the 4,600-plus people who responded cited maintenance issues.
“Everything breaks down,’’ wrote recent home buyer Dawn Alexander-Martin. “The washing machine was broken, water came into our sliding door in the lower level when the snow melted. The worst part was the driveway sunk into a 3-foot hole. All of this happened within months of moving in.”
Alison Miller, a real estate agent in Branchville, N.J., wrote that “things happen, even when the home and property are maintained.” Those costs add up, she said, especially if you need to outsource maintenance instead of doing repairs yourself.
That’s not to say the comments were all gloom and doom. Even with the often heavy responsibilities for maintenance, homeowners talked about falling hard for their home, and embracing the freedom that came with owning their own properties.
In the words of homeowner Linda Hamman of Springfield, Ohio, “It seems that something is broken most of the time and you have to fix it, which can be a big hassle. On the other hand, there is nothing like home ownership! There is no place like home❣️”
Our reader responses can provide useful guidance for first-time home buyers looking for a realistic picture of what to expect. We’ve picked out nine important takeaways below.
What surprised homeowners after they bought their first home?
1. The amount of maintenance a home requires — especially if it’s a single-family house.
About 32% of buyers surveyed by Zillow in February 2022 expressed having buyer’s remorse after purchasing a house that needed more work or maintenance than they expected.
How much maintenance is required depends entirely on the home. For example, there’s likely to be far less maintenance to tend to with a condo, which typically has a homeowners association to handle service requests for common areas, like the exterior, landscaping and shared hallways. (But even with a condo, you, as the homeowner, generally are responsible for maintaining and repairing appliances and taking care of your unit’s interior.)
Some things you may learn: how amazingly fast grass grows, why it’s important to clean your gutters regularly, and how to clear a clogged drain.Home buyer tip: Have a cash reserve to deal with emergencies. If your appliances are old or certain parts of your home, such as the roof, have been neglected, the costs could be substantial. Know your limits and what you’re willing to take on.
2. The added — and changing — costs of property taxes and homeowners insurance.
When you buy your home with a fixed-rate mortgage, you may think that the amount of your initial mortgage payment will remain the same for the life of the loan. But the monthly payment almost always includes property taxes and property insurance, which the mortgage servicer collects in an escrow account and pays for you. Those costs change over time.
“Taxes will go up, as will insurance,’’ wrote Sandi Diana-Schultz of Lombard, Illinois. ”It’s a given. Make sure you can afford MORE THAN you are approved for, as even with a fixed rate mortgage, costs will increase steadily — and often quicker than you may be prepared for.”Home buyer tip: Pay attention to your escrow statement both at closing and as you make payments over time. The escrow accounting that comes with your statement shows you the share of your mortgage payment that is going to things other than paying for your home.
3. The degree to which neighbors can affect the quality of your life.
As much as you love your home, life there can be gloriously elevated or horribly impacted by the people living around you.
“Check out the neighbors!’ admonished Lee West. “Not just a quick drive by. Walk through the neighborhood, talk to them, visit with them. Nothing worse than buying the house of your dreams in the middle of Hades!”
Bill Lawton agreed. “Before you buy, meet the neighbors!,” he wrote. “They can make or break your experience, and impact the value of your equity.”
And Donna Petraglia wrote, “For me, it’s the neighbors. Not just the neighborhood itself, but who you are going to have to look at and listen to when you walk out your door.”Home buyer tip: Visit the home you’re considering and the neighborhood during a time when neighbors are likely to be out and about. Visit during different times. If you’re a night owl or early riser, take note of the noise or quiet during the evenings and mornings. You don’t want to come off a Friday night swing shift only to find that everyone on your block likes to mow their lawn first thing Saturday morning.
4. The amount of knowledge required to keep up a home.
Remember when something broke and you called the landlord or property manager to fix it? You’re that person now. Think about the things that make your home cozy and functional: working heating and air conditioning systems and appliances, unobstructed sewer pipes and water-tight plumbing. If it breaks, you’ve got to fix it yourself or hire someone to do it.
“Know your house,” wrote Gloria Hernandez Denison, “the sprinkler system, water and gas valve shut off, the hot water heater, water softener. Learn to fix things.”
Adele Kaminsky Grudman offered a more expansive list: The cost of utilities, tax bills and tax hikes, the costs of keeping up a yard or pool, the cost of remedying hazards such as lead paint, asbestos and radon, or fixing a sea wall if you have one.Home buyer tip: Have the home and property thoroughly inspected before you buy it to reduce the number of surprises. Develop a budget for things that are likely to need fixing at some point. Price out renovations ahead of time to leave room for the unexpected.
5. How external factors can affect your property.
Any number of things can affect what you can do with your home. If your home is in a subdivision covered by a homeowners association, you’ll need to know the rules of what you can and can’t do with your property. Or your property may be impacted by county zoning rules or projects that could change the character of your neighborhood.
Marie Camp of Lexington, South Carolina, wrote, “Make sure you look at the whole property and what it entails. We didn’t know we had pipelines and didn’t know we couldn’t build a shed or didn’t know they could take away our trees anytime. Just be very, very careful.”
Cathy Mccoy of Monticello, Illinois, advised buyers to pay attention to adjacent properties.
“If the property borders anything other than a road and other residential properties, look at that carefully!,’’ she wrote. “Abandoned railroad tracks, a corn field, an empty lot, anything that can change has the potential to change your home life.”Home buyer tip: Thoroughly research the property and whatever long-term plans are on file with your county planning department that might impact your neighborhood.
6. Maintenance isn’t a one-and-done thing. Some things require scheduled maintenance.
Some systems in your house require annual inspections and tuneups. Here are some of the things called out by homeowners:
“You need to have your furnace and air conditioning serviced yearly,” wrote Paula Himmelstein of Amelia, Ohio.
“You have to drain your water heater once a year and check your anode [a replaceable steel rod that helps prevent corrosion inside the tank]. And if you have your own private septic system, you better learn how to do that, too. Remember your house breathes. You have plumbing pipes for venting. Make sure you clean out your dryer vents and buy a fire extinguisher just in case,” said another user, Seever Lakes.
“How to maintain your home on a proactive schedule — not always possible, I know, but clean your gutters, pay attention to your roof and when to paint exterior or replace rotted pieces, things like that.” — Gerri Lamb Roberson of Marietta, Georgia.Home buyer tip: Keep a calendar for scheduled repairs and stick to it. Try our monthly maintenance checklist to get started.
7. That you are liable for repairs at your condo even if the problems existed before you moved in.
Dan Mortimer said he assumed he was leaving all maintenance issues behind when he sold his single-family home after 42 years and bought a condo. He discovered building maintenance was not kept up, and he was hit with a special assessment to pay for maintenance that he said should have been done years before he bought the condo.Home buyer tip: Find a real estate agent with experience in condo ownership so they can help you navigate the process. Read all of the details before signing a contract. Ask to see the HOA’s minutes and pay attention to their financials.
8. The degree to which you become attached to your home, and feel joy in improving it.
Live in a place for any length of time and memories — and feelings — will quickly attach to it. Leaving those memories behind can be difficult, especially if you’ve made improvements yourself that have left you with a feeling of accomplishment.
It’s surprising how genuinely obsessed you can become with something you changed,’’ wrote Amy Ulrich. “Change a faucet to something you like better and it’s ‘I did that! Omg, it’s sooo much better.’ You tell yourself to get a grip, it’s only a faucet. But you realize the new one sits far enough out that I can wash my hands without bumping the sink. And, hey; I can get a glass of water without playing the tilting game. So, silly as it seems, it’s worth getting excited about.”
Said Gail Driscoll: “You may fall in love with the place and have a very hard time leaving (selling it) — the good news and the bad news.”
9. Satisfaction from knowing it’s yours.
Judy West summed up her feelings after adding shade trees, an orchard, archways over entryways, hunting down deals at estate sales and end of season bargains to improve her yard and ability to entertain at home: “Every improvement you make,’’ she wrote, “you can stand back and proudly know “It’s yours!!!”