What Are The Misc. Housing Costs That Could Throw Your Budget Off When Moving In Retirement? (pension, state)
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Marion County, Florida, where I live apparently doesn't have enough money to keep up the roads. We're facing a special assessment to repave the roads in the subdivision to the tune of $6000 per lot. We can pay it all up front (like that's going to happen) or pay it over 10 years with interest, added to our property taxes. Didn't see that coming when we bought the house 3 years ago.
I've lived in 2 houses here in Florida where the wells were hit by lightening (before we bought the houses). FYI, new wells are expensive. If I had the druthers I'd be on a municipal water and sewer system, another benefit of which is when your electric goes out, you still have water to flush. Pumping the septic tank periodically and hoping it and its surrounding field don't wear out, major bucks to replace.
Homeowner's insurance keeps going up, as mentioned before, but take the time to shop around. I took the time to shop my insurance polices on my 2 rental houses and saved $400 a year each on them.
So several: AC, Washer/Dryer, Hot Water heater, Fridge. I just replaced my AC, then the fridge died 2 mos later, now the washer is leaking, and the dryer won't stop tumbling. All on schedule LOL. So that's about 7K. I'm newly in love with Lowes "scratch on the side" appliances haha.
The fridge. That is a sore spot. We had to buy a new one last year. They have grown - become fatter and taller over the years. The taller aspect caused us severe problems. The cost wasn't a factor. Our kitchen cabinets were. We were almost at the point of redoing those to allow more space. After much, much research we finally found one that fit in our space. With a 1/8th inch clearance.
Not exactly budget busters, but it's worth remembering that there are lots of little fees when you move. They can add up, and you'll pay them for everything from getting a new drivers license to paying getting a copy of your medical records to your new doctor. C'est la vie, it's annoying but in the long run it's worth it.
Ah, yes. Come-with appliances. We were very pleased that our house came with everything when we bought it four yeas ago. However, in the past two years we've had to replace the soft water system, the hot water heater, dishwasher, stove, washer and dryer. That just leaves the refrigerator and the ice maker quit a couple of months ago so that will be next. I never really liked it anyway. We've also replaced one toilet and the other will be replaced next week. Add some repairs to the HVAC system and it all adds up. Thankfully the roof is only five years old.
Guess that's what we get for buying a 20-year old home but the lake isn't broken or needing replacement so I can't really complain.
Thanks to our advanced ages and government pensions we pay no state income tax and property tax is ridiculously low compared to what it would be on the left coast. However, we do have to pay personal property tax on our car. But that, even with annual registration fees, is about a third of what just registration would be in CA so no complaints. The HOA fee is $205 a year and probably should go up a bit but hasn't yet.
All-in-all it's been handily affordable but that can turn in a moment as most of us know. I'm not holding my breath but just being watchful.
Ah, yes. Come-with appliances. We were very pleased that our house came with everything when we bought it four yeas ago. However, in the past two years we've had to replace the soft water system, the hot water heater, dishwasher, stove, washer and dryer. That just leaves the refrigerator and the ice maker quit a couple of months ago so that will be next. I never really liked it anyway. We've also replaced one toilet and the other will be replaced next week. Add some repairs to the HVAC system and it all adds up. Thankfully the roof is only five years old.
You could have avoided most of those expenses by purchasing a home warranty when you bought your house. The house we bought in Las Vegas was 21 years old when we bought it, with mostly original appliances and HVAC. The seller paid for a one-yr home warranty for us and during that first year we encountered problems with our combination double wall oven/convection oven/microwave. The main issue was that the lower oven would not heat properly. We contacted the warranty company, they sent out a technician and it was determined that the requisite replacement part was no longer available. The warranty company then gave us the option of replacing the appliance with a unit of their choosing or taking the equivalent in cash. We took the cash and received a check for $2,714.
I decided then that I was definitely renewing that policy as necessary through the years. In the past 3 years we've used them multiple times to repair our refrigerator, built-in wine cooler, HVAC units, put in a new toilet, garage door opener, and replace a leaky kitchen faucet. I would never buy another older house without also purchasing a home warranty.
When I read the title, I was thinking new curtains, which can cost a fortune. Along this line would be new door locks. Who know how many others have your keys. Toilet seats would be another, but they don't cost that much.
Changing the door locks I can understand. That is a very prudent security measure and one everyone should follow. But you replace all the toilet seats when you move into a new house? Seriously??
Make sure you use high quality batteries on those Cathedral ceiling detectors. Builders often put cheap ones in that need to be replaced sooner.
On the bright side - you can now buy 10 year batteries for those smoke detectors. More expensive than regular batteries - but no need for annual changes. Robyn
You could have avoided most of those expenses by purchasing a home warranty when you bought your house. The house we bought in Las Vegas was 21 years old when we bought it, with mostly original appliances and HVAC. The seller paid for a one-yr home warranty for us and during that first year we encountered problems with our combination double wall oven/convection oven/microwave. The main issue was that the lower oven would not heat properly. We contacted the warranty company, they sent out a technician and it was determined that the requisite replacement part was no longer available. The warranty company then gave us the option of replacing the appliance with a unit of their choosing or taking the equivalent in cash. We took the cash and received a check for $2,714.
I decided then that I was definitely renewing that policy as necessary through the years. In the past 3 years we've used them multiple times to repair our refrigerator, built-in wine cooler, HVAC units, put in a new toilet, garage door opener, and replace a leaky kitchen faucet. I would never buy another older house without also purchasing a home warranty.
An alternative - especially if you're dealing with older appliances you bought yourself and took good care of (as opposed to inheriting them from other people) - is buying extended warranties when you have to replace them with new appliances. That's almost a necessity today in any event - since even the most major of "white goods" seem to come with only 1 year warranties.
FWIW - even with a home warranty - you can still wind up "out of pocket". The last time we had a home warranty was when we were in our condo in Miami. The A/C broke early Friday evening at the beginning of a long 4th of July weekend. We were told that the warranty only covered "next business day" service - i.e. Tuesday. So we wound up having to pay for the service call ourselves. Robyn
Changing the door locks I can understand. That is a very prudent security measure and one everyone should follow. But you replace all the toilet seats when you move into a new house? Seriously??
seriously. and if its an old toilet, I may want it reseated.
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