> - The only big cost is just the downpayment (5-20% of the price) Also closing costs can be large. I'd long thought the big up-front cost was the down payment

> - The only big cost is just the downpayment (5-20% of the price) Also closing costs can be large. I'd long thought the big up-front cost was the down payment plus maybe $3k of inspections and closing costs, so I was surprised when I bought my place and had nearly $30k in closing costs, transfer taxes, etc up front.