<prompt> Human: For those who are home owners, what do you think of the rule of thumb that you should expect to average 2 of your home value per year in repairs and replacements? For example, if you had a 200k house, you should expect to average 4k per year on replacing appliances, plumbing repairs, etc. Some years youll spend less, but other years might involve getting a new roof or windows and youre dropping tens of thousands all at once.We were given that rule of thumb when we bought our house a few years ago, and I thought it was a little high, but was a good plan so we had some safety margin. In the mean time, weve discovered just how many things there are that can break in a house, and now Im wondering if its even a little too low. In 6 years of home ownership, we have had to pay for siding and gutters which we knew was needed and accounted for in the purchase price, water heater, washer and dryer, refrigerator, windows and attic insulation which we opted to do for energy efficiency reasons, sump pump replacement, dehumidifiers which seem to only last 2-3 years for a humid basement and now a retaining wall and some drain tile to deal with some drainage issues. Were also anticipating that well need a new roof and AC within the next 5-7 years just due to the age of what we have. Thats just the major stuff and doesnt include a slew of misc plumbing repairs over the years drain auguring, toilet replacement, replacing or repairing leaking valves, etc, misc maintenance chimney sweep, etc and cosmetic stuff light fixtures, wall paint, etc. Weve been doing our best to install long-lasting and low maintenance stuff as weve been going, so hopefully well be entering a decade of lower costs to bring our average down, but for those who are about to become home owners, be aware that the true cost of ownership is way more than your mortgage.  <response>: My parents used to live in Michigan and now live in Northern Virginia. Their home would cost around 800k and it would cost less than 300k for an equivalent home in Michigan. Thats a huge discrepancy, so a blind number doesnt work well. I think basing it off of square feet or of bedroomsbathrooms could work better. 