Our house is 34 years old and some things like the porch and siding have never had any replacements, and many things are just wearing out. The last roofing job was about 20 years ago, but with architectural shingles. They still look good but are beginning to have some issues.
WRT my list, perhaps my situation is likely a bit extreme and not a particularly great example. Without a list of future tasks, I would start to get bored on some days. As a result, when the list gets short, the wife and I begin to add optional items, like a bathroom remodel or living room remodel for example. Over the past few years we have remodeled the kitchen, the laundry, the utility room, two bathrooms. We also removed a window in our upstairs bed room and replaced it with sliding doors and built a balcony to overlook the deck and yard. None of those tasks really HAD to be done.
Still, things like the sewer backing up every few years, and at the worst possible time. Roof leaks, pump issues, plumbing issues, and routine maintenance are not everyone's cup of tea.
Buying a newly constructed home is likely to be fairly maintenance free at least for 10-15 years but even there, home ownership requires a good bit of time and includes costs that are usually not calculated when its time to sell. IMO the actual boost in value is often greatly exaggerated.
I guess my main point is this. A person or family should generally buy a home mostly for the sheer joy of ownership. Any consideration of capital appreciation IMO should be a secondary consideration. Buy a house because you want your own home. Buy it because you love the floor plan, you love the location, you love the activities associated with owning a house. If the house is bought simply for its investment potential, then most of the benefit of home ownership is likely being lost to the buyer. If when the house is sold, it turns out to have been a good investment, so much the better. But even if the property just breaks even or even loses a bit, the pleasure of having lived in the perfect home was the primary value any way.
