Our Real Estate Blog

Residential Real Estate Market Report -- January 2011

5 Reasons Homeownership Trumps Renting

Submitted by Patty Massare on Tue, 2011-02-01 17:01

The seemingly endless run of bad housing news is discouraging some potential home buyers from considering a purchase. But the truth is that the advantages of homeownership have very little to do with investment gains. The best things about owning a home have a lot more to do with personal comfort and satisfaction. Here are five of them:

  • Be your own landlord. The bank can only kick you out if you don't pay; a landlord can be much less dependable--deciding to sell the property or choosing to live there themselves.
  • Paying the principal is forced savings. Yes, it's possible that home prices will fall further. It's also possible that your 401(k) will lose value. But over the long haul, both are likely to enjoy modest gains in value.
  • Fixed-rate mortgages never rise--and eventually you pay them off. With mortgage rates at record lows, people who buy now are locking-in real bargains.
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Selling at Holiday Time Can Be Good!

Submitted by Patty Massare on Tue, 2010-12-07 12:49

It can be a hassle to have your home on the market over the holidays for a variety of reasons . . . with that said, there are some real advantages that may outweigh the negatives.  

Although there will be more buyers out and active after the first of the year, the ones who are out in the wet and the cold right now tend to be really motivated to buy. Holiday house hunters usually either need a place to live, fast, or they need to close escrow on their new home by year's end for tax reasons.  Having your home on the market over the holidays is one way to try to capitalize on the urgency this season's motivated buyers face due to their circumstances.

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