Maintenance And Services
Although there's no such thing as a maintenance-free house, some materials can be used in building that will reduce the maintenance required. Aluminum windows, vinyl siding, and plastic eavestroughs are examples.Maintenance costs vary greatly according to your needs and what you can afford. They can range from repairing a leaky roof or adding a room to redecorating.
You can do some of this work yourself or you can hire someone else to do it. If you have neither the money nor the ability nor the time to do maintenance work, your house will deteriorate.
Maintenance costs aren't always predictable, but experts suggest that the amount spent annually on maintenance should be one to two per cent of the home's value.
Like maintenance, service — water, sewage, telephone or cable television — costs are extremely variable. Water and sewage costs (based on water consumption) can vary considerably depending on household size and lifestyle, if you have a pool or if you frequently water the lawn.
Whatever your circumstances, you should carry out your own budgeting exercise, carefully addressing the affordability of ongoing occupancy costs before you buy a house. A
May 20, 2012