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Buying a Home in 2026? You Might Be Missing a Free $25,000
I get the logic behind the contingency planning, but honestly, even with a 20-30% buffer, I’ve seen costs blow past that in older homes.
- that’s putting it mildly. Sometimes you just can’t spreadsheet your way out of structural surprises or code upgrades that weren’t on anyone’s radar. Incentives are nice, but if you’re counting on them to bridge major gaps, it’s risky. I’d argue for being even more conservative with estimates or maybe reconsidering if a full reno is worth it at all, depending on the property.“old houses are sneaky”
I hear you - old houses are a total wild card. I budgeted for a 25% buffer on my last place and still got hit with a surprise foundation issue that blew that out of the water. Incentives are cool but yeah, they’re not gonna save you from rotten joists or ancient wiring. Sometimes, walking away is the smarter move, even if that $25k looks tempting on paper.
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