What are the biggest unknowns when buying property abroad?

I’ve been working on Olivings and one thing that keeps coming up is how different the reality of owning a property abroad is from what listings make it seem.

People usually don’t struggle with finding houses. There are thousands. Tens of thousands. The uncertainty is more around things like real ongoing costs, local rules, maintenance, and what daily life there would actually feel like.

Curious to hear from others here: if you’ve ever seriously considered buying property abroad, what turned out to be the biggest unknown or surprise for you?