The everyday expenses of owning a home are higher than ever, according to a new analysis from Zillow® and Thumbtack. Utility bills, property taxes, insurance and essential home maintenance can add up to $14,155 a year for the average U.S. homeowner. That’s an additional $1,180 per month on top of a typical mortgage payment. First-time home buyers facing affordability challenges in today’s market need to understand and budget for these less obvious expenses when calculating how much home they can afford.
These costs can be surprisingly high in already pricey metro areas, topping $22,000 annually in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. Of the 39 metro areas analyzed, hidden homeownership costs are the lowest in Las Vegas ($9,886); Asheville, North Carolina ($11,318); and St. Louis ($11,824).
Zillow and Thumbtack’s research looked at three unavoidable expenses for single-family homeowners — property taxes, homeowners insurance and utility payments (energy, water, natural gas and internet) — and found they averaged $7,742 in total nationally. New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes, topping $9,000 per year, while utilities cost the most in Hartford, Connecticut, averaging $4,443 a year. Costs for homeowners insurance vary based on home value, so homeowners in the most affordable metro areas, such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland, have the added benefit of lower insurance bills.
The analysis also considered Thumbtack’s 17 essential home maintenance projects, based on data from millions of home projects completed across the country. These projects average a combined $6,413 annually. The average cost of upkeep is highest in Los Angeles and Chicago, totaling $8,639 and $7,722 respectively. Meanwhile, homeowners in Las Vegas can expect to pay just $3,467 per year to maintain their homes.
“Just like you would visit a mechanic for regular tune-ups to help keep your car in good condition and avoid big…
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