Hidden costs of homeownership top $16,500 a year, Zillow analysis finds

Home maintenance, homeowners insurance and property taxes have risen nearly 32% in five years, though the pace of growth is slowing

Hidden costs of homeownership top $16,500 a year, Zillow analysis finds

Home maintenance, homeowners insurance and property taxes have risen nearly 32% in five years, though the pace of growth is slowing

Hidden costs such as home maintenance, homeowners insurance and property taxes now average more than $16,500 a year, up nearly 32% over the past five years, according to a new analysis from Zillow and Thumbtack.

The analysis found that cost growth is slowing. The typical homeowner saw the cost of owning a home rise 3% over the past year.

Combined with the average U.S. mortgage payment of $1,922 a month, the average $1,380 in monthly hidden costs accounts for nearly 42% of a homeowner’s total monthly housing payment.

According to the analysis, home maintenance accounts for 67.4% of hidden costs, property taxes for 18.9% and homeowners insurance for 13.7%.

“Many households focus so much on winning the home and underestimate what it costs to live in it,” said Zillow Senior Economist Kara Ng. “Long after they receive the keys, insurance, taxes and upkeep are recurring expenses to plan for.”

Because homeownership costs vary by market, Ng said, home shoppers should “run the numbers and understand what they can truly afford before they make an offer.”

Coastal metro areas face some of the highest annual hidden costs of homeownership: $25,111 in New York, $24,383 in San Francisco, $22,915 in Los Angeles and $22,096 in Boston. But even in Phoenix, the least expensive metro area in the analysis, hidden costs average $14,187 a year, Zillow noted.

Kendra Sinclair, Thumbtack’s home trends expert, called the slowdown in maintenance cost growth “welcome news for homeowners managing a lot of competing expenses.”

“Planning for regular upkeep throughout the year can help prevent bigger repair bills and protect your savings when something unexpected happens,” Sinclair said.

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