Ownership guide

Annual Home Maintenance Budget Guide

Set maintenance reserves by home value, age, and risk profile instead of using a single flat rule.

Quick answer: Maintenance reserves should scale with both property value and risk factors such as age and system condition.

Intent: how much save for home maintenance

How to run the numbers

Enter home value and age assumptions.
Choose low, medium, or high risk profile.
Use monthly reserve outputs to set automatic savings transfers.

Common mistakes

Using zero reserve during early ownership can create emergency debt.
Older homes often need higher than baseline percentages.
Deferred maintenance can compound long-term costs.

Calculators to open now

Open primary calculator

Primary

Maintenance Budget

Estimate low/base/high annual and monthly maintenance budgets from home value, age, and risk profile.

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FAQs

Is 1% enough for maintenance?

It can be low for older homes or homes with nearing end-of-life systems.

Should maintenance include cosmetic upgrades?

Usually no. Separate upkeep from optional improvement spending.

Can I reduce reserve if inspection was clean?

Potentially, but keep a buffer because major systems still age over time.

This calculator provides planning estimates for educational purposes only. Verify all assumptions with licensed professionals before making financial, legal, tax, insurance, or construction decisions.

Want a sequence instead of a single tool? Open Start Here: Lowering Bills.