> How mortgage repayments change over time as you pay off some of it (YMMV)

This is a big one people buying houses recently due to FOMO don't understand: you're really not building equity the first few years because almost all of your monthly payment is going to interest. The "irrecoverable cost" of owning a home can often be higher than renting in some HCOL areas now, although I understand that people buy for more emotional reasons (e.g. not wanting to yank their family around to a new place each year to avoid being at the mercy of a bad landlord on each lease renewal).