> The average homeowner should expect to spend between 1-5% of their house value in maintenance a year - and that amount begins to climb as the house gets older

> The average homeowner should expect to spend between 1-5% of their house value in maintenance a year - and that amount begins to climb as the house gets older. This is completely untrue. For a $1M house (basic small home in the bay area), you'd be looking at 10K-50K in maintenance per year! I can't begin to imagine how one could spend that kind of money even if you tried really hard. Unless you buy a fixer upper, maintenance costs are minimal. Paint sometimes, the occasional water heater replacement, a sprinkler tube leak here and there. In 2021 so far I've spent a grand total of $409.61 in house maintenance. As a long-time house owner (>20 years), it's a fairly typical year. I do spend 2-3K a year on improvements, but those are strictly optional, things I do because I like.