--- title: The Mortgage Payment Is Only Part of What a House Costs description: Your mortgage isn't the whole cost of homeownership. Learn what to budget for when buying a home in Maine or New Hampshire, plus a free worksheet. image: https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/new%20england%20kitchen.jpeg --- [![2025logo](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025logo.png?width=85&height=85&name=2025logo.png "2025logo")](https://www.priscillaweston.com) [![](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025logo.png?width=250&height=250&name=2025logo.png)](http://Priscilla%20Band%20Weston,%20Realtor) [![](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025logo.png?width=250&height=250&name=2025logo.png)](http://Priscilla%20Band%20Weston,%20Realtor) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Home](https://priscillaweston.com) - [Listings](https://priscillaweston.com/listing) - [About](https://priscillaweston.com/about-us) - [Contact](https://priscillaweston.com/contact1) - [Blog](https://priscillaweston.com/blog) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # The Mortgage Payment Is Only Part of What a House Costs by [Priscilla Weston](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/author/priscilla-weston) | Feb 5, 2026 There's a point every winter when people start thinking about spring. Not necessarily because the snow is melting. Around here, we've usually got a ways to go on that front. But I start hearing it in conversations. People wondering what might come on the market, casually browsing listings, and quietly asking themselves whether this might finally be the year they move. And before the spring market gets going, I think there's one thing worth doing. Figuring out what a house will **actually cost you every month.** Not just the mortgage payment. The whole thing. ## Because the mortgage is only the beginning When you're looking at a listing, it's easy to focus on the asking price and whatever estimated monthly payment the website has conveniently calculated for you. But that number doesn't necessarily tell you much about what living in the house will cost. There's property tax. Homeowners insurance. Heating. Electricity. Water and sewer, depending on the property. Maybe a condo fee. And then there's maintenance. Because houses have a remarkable ability to need something expensive at exactly the wrong time. A water heater doesn't care that you just paid for summer camp. And if you're buying an older home in Maine or New Hampshire, I'd especially want to know about the heating system, insulation, windows, and any deferred maintenance. Two similarly priced houses can have very different operating costs. ## The number that actually matters I think the more useful question isn't necessarily *How much house can I afford?* It's **How much do I comfortably want to spend on housing every month?** Those aren't always the same number. A lender might approve you for a certain amount, but they don't know how much you love traveling, what your childcare costs look like, or whether you'd rather have a smaller mortgage and enough money left over to actually enjoy your life. And I think those things matter. A lot. There's no prize for buying the most expensive house you qualify for. ## I made a little worksheet for this I put together a simple, one-page worksheet called **What a Home Really Costs**. It's nothing fancy. Just a place to work through the numbers that tend to get overlooked when you're scrolling through listings. It includes your estimated mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance, utilities, condo or HOA fees, and a reserve for maintenance. The idea is to get a more realistic picture of what a house might cost you every month, before you're emotionally committed to the one with the beautiful kitchen. [**Download the free What a Home Really Costs worksheet here**](https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/What%20A%20Home%20Really%20Costs%20You%20Worksheet.pdf) It's a starting point, not a substitute for a lender's estimates or a detailed household budget. You'll also want to account for upfront closing costs and any immediate repairs or improvements. But sometimes getting everything onto one piece of paper makes the decision a whole lot clearer. ## You don't have to buy at the top of your budget I spend a lot of time thinking about what makes a house a good fit for someone. And while the floor plan, location, condition, and potential all matter, I think there's another piece that's just as important. Does owning this house leave you enough room to live the life you want? Because a home should make your life better. Not consume every available dollar just to keep the lights on. Whether you're planning to buy this spring or just starting to wonder what might be possible, understanding your numbers is a pretty good place to start. And the beautiful kitchen? We can still look at it. *Priscilla ✨* *Priscilla Weston | REALTOR® with Archer & Associates* - - - - Recent posts [I Have Trust Issues With Freshly Painted Basements (And Other Things I Notice at House Showings)](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/i-have-trust-issues-with-freshly-painted-basements-and-other-things-i-notice-at-house-showings) [Apparently, This Is the Best Week of the Year to Buy a House](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/apparently-this-is-the-best-week-of-the-year-to-buy-a-house) [A Small House for Someone With Big Plans](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/a-small-house-for-someone-with-big-plans) [I Wish I Could Clone My Last Seller](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/i-wish-i-could-clone-my-last-seller) [The Best Homes Leave Room for Possibility](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/the-best-homes-leave-room-for-possibility) Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty 750 Lafayette Rd. #201 Portsmouth, NH 03801 [O: 603.610.8500](tel:317-234-5678) [C: 207.218.0240](tel:317-234-5678) FOLLOW ALONG [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/priscillabandweston) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillabandweston/) - HOME - [LISTINGS](https://priscillaweston.com/listings) - [ABOUT](https://priscillaweston.com/about) - [CONTACT](https://priscillaweston.com/contact) - SEARCH © 2024 Priscilla Band Weston, REALTOR |  Privacy Policy ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Priscilla Weston", "url" : "https://priscillaweston.com/blog/author/priscilla-weston" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-17T13:02:57.114Z", "datePublished" : "2026-02-05T15:45:00.000Z", "headline" : "The Mortgage Payment Is Only Part of What a House Costs", "image" : [ "https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/new%20england%20kitchen.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://priscillaweston.com/blog/the-mortgage-payment-is-only-part-of-what-a-house-costs", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/2025logo.png" }, "name" : "Priscilla Band Weston, Realtor" } } ```