There’s no doubt that buying a house is an expensive proposition. Anybody who goes into the process thinking otherwise is in for a rude awakening.

Even if the house is a bargain, you’re still paying big bucks -- likely the biggest purchase of your life. And if you’re not paying cash, the interest can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

Then there are those heady closing costs, which run anywhere from 3 percent to 5 percent of the price of the house. These are charges like the recording fees and document stamps that local governments charge every time the house changes hands, plus those pesky lender charges for services such as appraisals and land surveys.

Next comes another round of what many describe as “hidden expenses.” They’re considered hidden because buyers tend to focus on the sticker price of the house -- or perhaps even the monthly mortgage payment -- and forget about other recurring costs until they get to the closing table or a month or two later.

These costs include property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, flood insurance, homeowner’s association fees and, of course, utilities. According to Zillow, these can add up to $9,000 annually to your household budget.

But wait! You’re not done yet. You still have your moving expenses to think about. It costs more to hire a moving company than rent a van; consider offering a case of beer to your buddies in exchange for helping with the move.

Either way, though, you’ll absorb some costs that most people don’t think about until they have to. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to budget for setting up your utilities: water, power, cable, internet and more. Many utilities require first-timers to put up big deposits to open accounts.

Now you’ll have to turn your new house into a home. And according to new research from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), that means another round of spending for appliances, furnishings and alterations and repairs. If you are building a new house, figure on spending $10,601 in your first year of ownership on these items. If moving into an existing house, you’ll lay out a little less: $8,212. (This compares to only $4,122 spent annually on appliances, furnishings, etc. by people who are not moving at all.)

The NAHB came up with these numbers by perusing data from the Department of Labor Statistics’ consumer expenditure survey.

Not surprisingly, buyers of new houses outspend those buying existing houses when it comes to furnishings. They spend five times more money on things like living room chairs and tables, and nine times more on dining room and kitchen furniture.

Window coverings are another big spending category. And here, new-house buyers shell out four times more than existing homebuyers. But the most expensive item is a sofa, for which new-house buyers spend 60 percent more than existing-house buyers.

But what is puzzling is that new-house buyers also outspend others when it comes to appliances, and spend almost as much on alterations and repairs. Don’t most new houses come with appliances already installed? And doesn’t “new” suggest that no alterations or repairs are necessary, since the house has never been occupied?

For the most part, yes, according to a survey by the Housing Innovation Research Labs, which found that virtually all new homes come with cooking stoves, ranges or ovens. But two-thirds of the houses built in 2015, the latest year for which data is available, had no washers or dryers, and 36 percent had no fridge.

Another head-scratcher is that existing-house buyers shell out only $250 more on repairs and alterations during the first year of ownership than new-house buyers.

As it turns out, buyers of new homes tend to spend their money outside, on things like landscaping, a new driveway or walk, or fences. On the other hand, existing-house buyers put their cash into kitchen and bath remodeling, new heating and air conditioning systems, security systems and flooring -- all items new buyers rarely spend a dime on in that first year.

Meanwhile, a separate study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) puts another twist on the homebuyer spending spree. It says buyers -- both new and existing -- burn through “only” $5,000 on top of the purchase price to turn their newfound abodes into their own personalized residences.

This study analyzed spending by 70,000 households from 2001 to 2013, as well as building permits for some 9 million properties. That the study period included the most recent recession, when such spending dropped off the table, accounts, in part, for the roughly $5,000 difference between the NAHB study and that of NBER researchers Efraim Benmelech, Adam Guren and Brian Melzer. But there is no further explanation.

Another interesting point in the NBER study: Homebuyers started to increase their furnishings and renovation spending three months before closing. It peaked during the first month afterward, and started to decline slowly as time went by.

Finding and evaluating a home improvement contractor is a difficult process. Do it right, and you will be happy with the work. But do it wrong, and your project could be a nightmare.

Unfortunately, most people don’t have a clue how to go about it. According to a survey of its members by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, customers are asking the wrong questions.

The most common ones: When can you start? When will you finish? What time will you start each morning? What time will you stop working for the day? Are you going to work every day? Can you finish by a certain date? How much will it cost per square foot?

In other words, “How fast and how much?”

Certainly these are important questions, to which you will want answers. But there are far more important things you need to know. After all, you are not only going to be inviting a stranger into your home, you are asking the contractor rip up your house and interrupt your life, perhaps for a long period of time.

Here’s what you really need to ask.

-- License. Ask for the contractor’s license number and confirm it with your state or local government regulator to make sure it is valid and current. Many jurisdictions set minimum experience and educational requirements, and administer exams to make sure the contractor is up to snuff. Fail the test? No license.

Many places also maintain relief funds for homeowners whose projects go wrong and are unable to secure satisfaction. But they cover only licensed contractors.

-- Tenure. How long has the contractor been in business? Generally, the longer, the better. It indicates he or she is a pro and is delivering the work consumers expect.

There are many skilled construction workers who try their hands at general contracting. Typically, those who flounder do decent work, but have no clue about how to run a business.

-- Insurance. By law, remodelers must carry both business insurance and worker’s compensation. If they don’t, you could be liable, especially if someone is hurt while on the job.

Ask for a copy of the certificate of insurance and call the issuing agency to confirm coverage is valid and up-to-date.

-- Verify. Something else to confirm is the company name, address and phone number. Do you really want to hire someone who runs the show out of the back of a pickup truck?

-- Referrals. Get a list of previous customers. But not just any customers: Ask for a list of people whose jobs were similar to what you are contemplating. And request jobs that were completed recently, within the last six to 12 months. Being unwilling to provide references is a bad sign.

The list will probably contain their best customers -- why give out the names of dissatisfied clients? -- but check them out anyway. Obtaining a firsthand description of the way the contractor works can be invaluable, and go a long way toward answering the questions mentioned above.

Also, check the contractor out with your local Better Business Bureau, as well as the state or local consumer affairs agency where you live and where he or she is headquartered.

-- Supervisor. Taking to a nice, well-dressed, well-spoken salesperson is one thing. But you’ll want to know who will actually be the supervisor on the project. If you can meet and speak with him or her, even better. You’ll want to be able to communicate with your contractor, for sure. After all, this is the person who will address your questions and concerns once the project starts.

Now, a few things that indicate the contractor may not be trustworthy:

-- Beware of high-pressure tactics such as “sign a contract today or lose out on special pricing.” Don’t be rushed into making a decision. Take your time. If they want your job, that “special” pricing will always be there.

-- Be cautious about a demand for a large down payment. Many states don’t allow contractors to take more than a certain amount upfront. Certainly, don’t put up more than a third, and never in cash. A contractor who wants nothing in advance is rare, but it usually means he or she is well capitalized and doesn’t need your money to buy materials.

-- If contractors don’t inform you of your right to cancel the contract within three business days, don’t sign anything, and ask them to take a hike. The law requires notification in writing of your “right of recession” if the contract was solicited in your home or someplace other than the contractor’s place of business. This is a grace period that allows you to change your mind without penalty.

Divorce is never easy. And when real estate is involved, it can get downright exhausting.

Sometimes neither of the spouses wants to keep the house -- too many bad memories, perhaps. So the simple answer is to sell and move on.

When kids are involved, though, the breakup becomes much more complicated. Often, one spouse wants to remain in the house so the children aren’t uprooted, so the other has to move out.

But how do they split the value of the family residence? If one spouse just wants to bail, they can sign over their share of the property and walk away. Problem solved -- or at least alleviated. Or, if one spouse has the ability to buy out the other’s interest, a major stumbling block can be avoided.

Those two scenarios are rare, however. More often than not, the parties go to war over the issue.

If they can’t come to some kind of understanding, a judge will do it for them. But it need not get to that point if the parties consider a cash-out refinancing.

For simplicity purposes, say the house is worth $100,000 and the balance on the mortgage is $50,000. By refinancing to the full $100,000, there is $50,000 on the table that the remaining spouse can use to buy out the spouse who is leaving.

Simple enough, except that there often isn’t enough equity in the place to do a normal cash-out refi. For example, Fannie Mae, perhaps the largest source of money for home loans, requires an 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) to be retained in the property. And the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the government agency that insures loans against default, expects an 85 percent LTV.

Consequently, in the example above, the parties would only be able to pull $30,000 out of the house if Fannie Mae was purchasing the loan from the primary lender, as is often the case. If the FHA was underwriting the new mortgage, they could pull out $35,000.

In neither case, then, would there be enough money to buy out the departing spouse’s half-share. But both Fannie and the FHA are aware of the housing and mortgage issues divorce can cause. And each one has a special refinance option, neither particularly well-known, to help solve the problem.

Under the FHA “divorce” option, one spouse co-borrower can refinance the property up to 97.5 percent loan-to-value ratio instead of the 85 percent ceiling required of other borrowers.

“This has a huge advantage, especially when a property has declined in value or has not gained enough equity for a normal FHA cash-out refinance,” says George Souto, a loan agent with McCue Mortgage in Middletown, Connecticut, who blogged about the program on the Active Rain real estate website.

There are rules, though. As Souto points out, the remaining co-borrower has to use the proceeds of that loan to pay off his or her former co-borrower. Also, the spouse who retains the property must obtain a divorce decree, settlement agreement or other legally binding and enforceable equity agreement that documents the amount of equity awarded to the other spouse.

Of course, the spouse who remains on the new mortgage must qualify for the loan with just his or her own income and meet all the other FHA guidelines. And in no case can he or she receive any of the proceeds from the new loan.

Under Fannie Mae’s divorce-refi option, the property can be refinanced up to 95 percent of its current value, as long as the property was jointly owned for at least 12 months prior to the day of the application for the new loan. And the parties must document that fact.

Again, the spouse who remains must not receive any of the proceeds, and must be able to qualify for the new loan on his or her own. And both parties must execute a written agreement stating the terms of how the property is to be transferred, the purpose of the transfer and how the funds from the refi will be used.

Freddie Mac, another major investor in mortgages, also has a refi option for divorcing couples. Under its program, the property must have been owned by the warring factions for at least 12 months. Also, the loan file must state that the property was occupied as a principal residence, and there must be a written agreement stating the terms of the transfer and the disposition of the refi proceeds.

The new mortgage amount is limited to the amount of equity used to buy out the other co-owner, plus the amount needed to pay off the old mortgage, any junior liens and closing costs, financing costs and any escrows and prepaid items such as property taxes.