There was some discussion in the comments two posts back on how much it cost to finish off a new house with all the extras; window coverings, landscape, etc.

But once you get the house ready to occupy, there is another cost to consider – furnishings.

Most buyers have adequate stuff for their old joint, but most are buying a somewhat larger or nicer home, and will fall a little short when outfitting the new home with the existing furniture on hand.

The rule-of-thumb is that you can add a zero to your new square footage to estimate your initial expenses on additional furniture.

If you buy a 3,000sf house, you’ll probably expect to spend $30,000 over the first year or two on new furnishings, +/- depending on tastes, budget, and who is in charge.

If you go the econo-route, you can save some money, especially if you can use some of the furniture coming from when the guy was living single:

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