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ST. LOUIS, Mo. — About 85% of homeowners spent money on an unplanned home repair in 2025, according to a new report from Clever Offers, a platform owned by Clever Real Estate that allows home sellers on tight timelines to explore their selling options.

Half of American homeowners (50%) say their home needs repairs or renovations that they can’t afford right now, and two-thirds (65%) admit they’ve ignored a home maintenance task within the past five years.

Putting off maintenance resulted in repairs that could have been avoided for nearly 1 in 3 homeowners (29%). Of those, 72% spent at least $1,000 on a preventable repair, and 44% spent at least $5,000.

Among homeowners who have renovated in the past five years, 70% went over budget, and 58% have at least one regret — including spending too much money (22%) and the renovation taking too long (16%).

Nearly one-third (30%) of homeowners have gone into debt completing a renovation project, and 19% have had to stop a project early due to unexpected costs.

Over half of homeowners (58%) have nothing saved for emergency repairs. Among those with savings for renovations, 32% have less than $5,000 and 60% have less than $10,000.

With the cost of home maintenance already straining Americans, the majority (60%) are concerned that tariffs will further increase the cost of repairs and maintenance.

About three-quarters of homeowners (73%) say they’ve already adjusted their renovation plans due to rising material costs.

Nearly half of Americans (46%) plan to spend more on renovations in 2026 than in 2025, including 46% who expect to spend $5,000 or more and 28% who plan to spend at least $10,000.

Although half of homeowners (51%) say they’ve spent more on renovations than planned since purchasing their home, 64% would rather renovate than move to a home that’s already been remodeled.

The typical American reports spending a whopping 17 hours per month — or 204 hours per year — on home maintenance.

Source: Clever Offers

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