I don’t know the intimate details of that attack, but it’s also possible the perpetrator in that incident wasn’t trying to kill anyone.

I have a few homes in a very low maintenance market, and 2-3% is definitely a fair estimate for *average* annual maintenance. $10k a/c bills or $8k roof replacements can skew those averages up rather quickly even if 4 years out of 5 require no maintenance.

Stop buying stuff you can’t afford. Don’t finance a car that will be worth half as much in a few years (my rule of thumb is that my car can’t be more than 10% of my gross income). Don’t buy more house than you can afford (my rule of thumb is that my mortgage payment can’t be more than 20% of my net income). Eat out…