I don’t quite understand the total refusal to consider Mello-Roos. High MR, yeah, because it will make it hard to sell the house down the road.

But if it is a typical amount for a MR, just calculate how much it is gonna cost you (yearly rate x number or years left on the MR). Then you’ll know how much less the house should cost from an EQUIVALENT house with no MR.

It’s not exact due to inflation and such, but close enough.

So, no, the money is not “down the drain” if you know how to do the conversion factor from apples to oranges and don’t overpay for the house.