Spent 6 years in apartments. Just bought a house. Here's what nobody warned me about.
- Lawn care in Texas heat is a part-time job. Mowing every week in summer. Watering constantly. The grass will die if you look at it wrong in August.
- Property tax hits different when you write the check yourself. In an apartment it's hidden in rent. Now I see the $8K bill annually.
- Everything that breaks is YOUR problem. AC went out the second month. $400 repair. In an apartment I would've called maintenance.
- Homeowner's insurance in Texas is expensive. Wind, hail, storms. My premium is $2,400/year.
- Water bill is 3x what I expected. Watering the lawn in summer adds $80-100/month easy.
I don't regret buying. But I wish someone had given me realistic numbers instead of just "your mortgage will be close to your rent."
The freedom is worth every extra dollar though. I can paint walls, have a dog, play music at midnight. After 6 years of apartment living the privacy alone is priceless.