Owning your home is a good idea, but is it a good idea to stay in it throughout your retirement? I know that buying or selling a house is 90% emotion and 10% logic and it seems that even I have difficulty thinking about my living and housing situation in my older years of retirement.
By Sheila Bingham
When you buy a single family home, you may want to consider a Home Warranty Plan. The cost of the plans I have seen recently range from about $330 to $350 for one year and whether the seller or buyer pays for the warranty may be negotiated in the contract.
Some of the common [...]
By: Roshawn WatsonHome prices are down, but the hopes and dreams of home owners are high.Since late 1990s, the average prices have nearly doubled. This has caused many people to try to purchase as much home as they can afford. However, if you look at a more long-term view, you will get a more complete picture. Robert Shiller, a Yale Professor, tracks real estate history. According to his research, from 1890 -1990, there was virtually no change in real inflation corrected real estate prices.Professor Jack Clark Francis, Baruch College, research also indicates that single family homes are not a good investment when compared to other asset classes. His research indicates that from 1978-2006 the S&P 500 has averaged a 13% return, stock from small companies (small cap) has averaged 16% whil
Viet Kieu are one step closer to unlocking the door to enjoying similar home ownership rights as their homeland-based compatriots. The Ministry of Construction has submitted a proposal to adjust Decree 90/2006/ND-CP, paving the wave for Viet Kieu to purchase homes in Viet Nam.
According to the proposal, Viet Kieu holding Vietnamese nationality who return for long-term investment under the
I met a first-time homebuyer the other day for lunch. He had been referred to me thru past clients and he wanted to meet me in person.Questions, he had. Many of them. About me, about Portland’s real estate market, about lenders, etc. We covered all of the various real estate topics, including his not wanting to be a renter any longer.That got me to thinking about the tax benefits of owning a home and since the tax man cometh in about a month, the timing is right:Here’s why buying a home makes sense tax-wise, courtesy of the Boston Globe:* Mortgage interest deductions, including in some cases mortgage insurance premiums, reduce home owners' tax liability by reducing income. The deduction includes interest paid on both a first and a second home. * Interest on home equity loans is als
It’s unbelievable how much it costs to buy a house these days. Looking at single family home prices in my area and even those located in less appealing crime ridden neighborhoods, I am just now realizing that I may never be able to afford one in my lifetime. Well, at least not the American dream [...]
I've always been a big believer in buying a home as an investment. The reason for that is I spent my life moving from rental to rental every few years, never having spent more than a 4-year stretch in any one location. Growing up, that was pretty rough. The trend continued for a [...]
If we were to do a consumer proposal will it affect us when we go to renew our mortgage in five yrs and if we were to sell within the next 2 yrs would it affect our carrying our mortgage to a new home.
For most Canadians, housing has increased in value. It has increased the most in the western provinces because of economic expansion in the oil fields.Please note that a house in Canada is used primarily as a place to live rather than as a way to make a quick buck.For many Canadians, "house appreciation" in done through renovations which improve the resell value of the home. You could also call this "Pride In Ownership" because it's a personal win to add value to something that didn't look that good in the first place.With interest rates and house prices going down in the U.S., there are marvelous opportunities to obtain a bargain property that if cared for will appreciate with time. The produ
This has been a hot topic among bloggers, so I’ll throw in my 2-cents.
Every asset you own can be classified into 3 broad categories: necessities, luxuries and investments.
Examples include:
Necessities: electricity, gasoline, food, water, clothing, banking, medicine and *shelters*.
Luxuries: Tag Heuer watches, iPods, Coach bags, Ferraris and sailboats.
Investments: stocks, [...]
When it comes to buying a home, we all know that the mortgage is what takes the majority of our paycheck: as we find ourselves broke and eating Ramen Noodles, we can't help but blame that 1500 dollar payment we have to make on the first of the month. While it may be the largest cost, the mortgage is far from the only cost of home ownership. There are all sorts of little things that add little costs, little costs that end up big.Property Taxes: That's right, it's not just for Monopoly players anymore. Taxes often seem to be the American way and home ownership is included in this notion. In the simplest terms, property tax is imposed on property that is owned either on a group or individual basis. It is usually directly related to the price of the property (Baltic Avenue would have cheap property taxes, while the property tax on Boardwalk would be much more expensive). In most cases, property tax is paid by the home owner annually.Property Insurance: We have health insurance, we have
For many Americans, the best way to build wealth is to pay down a mortgage. The multipurpose investment essentially is a ‘forced savings account.’ The homeowner lives in the house and pays down the mortgage, over time the property appreciates, and eventually it can be sold and potentially net a tidy profit. In the meanwhile, mortgage interest rate and property tax payments are tax deductible.
Mortgage payments help build a homeowner’s net worth because a portion of the payment goes toward building equity. The hard-earned equity can be saved for the big sale, or it can be tapped to obtain low interest home equity loans. The lower interest loans can be used for a variety of expenses including college tuition, home improvement or car payments.
Mortgage interest rates and property taxes quickly add up and, the combined itemized deductions can result in a hefty tax deduction. In some cases, the amount could elevate the taxpayer beyond the minimum itemized ded
For the first time in three decades - since President Jimmy Carter was in office YIKES, home ownership is on the verge of dropping during a presidents tenure. There is expected to be close to one million less homeowners by the time he leaves office as compared to when he took office. While there are certainly many reasons, and while I would not consider myself a big proponent of Bankruptcy, the changes in the Bankruptcy code certainly plays a big part of this shift. And this is not necessarily a good shift to have - downward home ownership. Hopefully this will be changed and corrected no matter who becomes the next US President!===============================================================================Title companies & mortgage brokers, help your borrowers- arrange to have their loan signed and notarized in their home, at their convenience by a Certified Notary Signing Agent (CNSA)Browse The Rain for a qualified and Certified Notary Signing Agent in
Appreciation will be appreciated!
Another benefit of home ownership is the appreciation your home will build over time. Appreciation, especially in our market can either work for you or against you. If you are thinking of pulling the trigger on a home worth $350,000 right now, but think you'll hold on until prices drop…don't. In another year you can bet that the same home will be worth in excess of $385,000. Two years down the line you'll probably pay over $420,000! So in two years, you have a good opportunity of making in excess of $70,000 through investing in your home (minus home improvement costs & interest), or paying that much more for the same house.
With all the "bubble talk" the media is throwing around you'd think appreciation was anything but a sure thing…think again! Appreciation is driven by a variety of conditions that vary by State, City, all the way down to individual neighborhoods. Read our predictions for 2007 and you will see why we b
Appreciation will be appreciated!
Another benefit of home ownership is the appreciation your home will build over time. Appreciation, especially in our market can either work for you or against you. If you are thinking of pulling the trigger on a home worth $350,000 right now, but think you'll hold on until prices drop…don't. In another year you can bet that the same home will be worth in excess of $385,000. Two years down the line you'll probably pay over $420,000! So in two years, you have a good opportunity of making in excess of $70,000 through investing in your home (minus home improvement costs & interest), or paying that much more for the same house.
With all the "bubble talk" the media is throwing around you'd think appreciation was anything but a sure thing…think again! Appreciation is driven by a variety of conditions that vary by State, City, all the way down to individual neighborhoods. Read our predictions for 2007 and you will see why we b
The first day I owned my home, I dug a hole. A great big hole in the backyard. After I dug my hole I went inside and hammered stuff. Nothing in particular, just started hammering. You see, these are two very simple and WONDERFUL benefits of owning your own home. You can do what you want! The sense of freedom you obtain is worth owning a home by itself, however there are many more powerful and pertinent benefits than digging holes. In this section I'll cover just what some of those benefits are, as well as everything else you need, and want to know as a first time home buyer. So we'll start here.
Benefit #1: You can dig holes and hammer anything you want.
If you own a home right now that you pay a mortgage on, you likely do not have enough money in the bank to pay off that mortgage. But what if you did? If you had the money to pay off the mortgage and thus free up that money each month, would you do so? [...]
