Some Highlights: Buying a home is often the biggest financial decision that any family will make. The average net worth of a homeowner is 45x greater than that of a renter. Homeownership puts your housing costs to work for you. Infographic was created in cooperation with Jensen & Co. … [Read more...]
Are the Kids Finally Moving Out?
During the recession, many young adults graduating from college were forced to move back in with their parents. This caused new household formations to drop dramatically from the long term average of 1.2 million formations annually to half that number. However, this may be the year this turns back around. According to the Urban Land Institute’s report, Emerging Trends in Real Estate, household formations will increase dramatically. They project that 3.68 million additional households will be formed in the … [Read more...]
Homeownership Finally Makes Political Debate
Finally, the issue of homeownership has become a platform talking point in this year’s presidential debate. Yesterday, one of the candidates running for President spoke out about the importance of homeownership in America. Hillary Clinton detailed a new economic agenda yesterday. In announcing her new agenda, she remarked: “Homeownership is about more than just owning a home. It is about putting roots down in a community with better schools, safer streets and good jobs. And it is about building wealth, … [Read more...]
Play Chess… Not Checkers
Checkers is a simple game with a simple objective; eliminate the other player’s pieces. Even the process of doing so is simple, jump the other player’s pieces and start a collection. There is very little thought as to a defensive strategy and it is often more reactive than strategic. Even though the objective of Chess is simply laid out — obtain the other player’s King — the process in which to obtain this goal is much more strategic. Chess requires a greater understanding of the … [Read more...]
Homeowner’s Net Worth is 45x Greater Than a Renter’s
Every three years the Federal Reserve conducts a Survey of Consumer Finances in which they collect data across all economic and social groups. The latest survey, which includes data from 2010-2013, reports that a homeowner’s net worth is 36 times greater than that of a renter ($194,500 vs. $5,400). In a Forbes article the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun predicts that in 2016 the net worth gap will widen even further to 45 … [Read more...]
How Do You Know If You’ve Found Your ‘Perfect Match’? [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: Every agent brings a different set of skills & specialties to their clients. It is important to find an agent who you can trust to guide you through the entire process step-by-step. Having a conversation about your goals & expectations will not only save you unneeded frustration, but will also make the transaction as smooth as possible. … [Read more...]
Final 2015 Housing Numbers Now In
Many have questioned the stability of certain sectors of the U.S. Economy, one section in particular is the housing market. Today we would like to share how the experts feel about how we ended 2015 and where they think we are headed in 2016. How did we do in 2015? The National Association of Realtors “Overall, a resilient U.S. economy and very solid job growth in recent years made 2015 a great rebound year for the housing market. Existing-home sales were at the highest pace (5.26 million) since 2006 (6.48 … [Read more...]
What You Don’t Need To Hear From Your Listing Agent
You’ve decided to sell your house. You begin to interview potential real estate agents to help you through the process. You need someone you trust enough to: Set the market value on possibly the largest asset your family owns (your home) Set the time schedule for the successful liquidation of that asset Set the fee for the services required to liquidate that asset An agent must be concerned first and foremost about you and your family in order to garner that degree of trust. Make sure this is the case. Be … [Read more...]
This Time “Mr. Wonderful” is just WRONG!!
Recently, on CNBC’s Closing Bell, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” said Millennials “don’t give a poo-poo about owning a house.” This thinking couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s give a few examples to make this point. 1.) In the recent National Housing Market Survey conducted by Fannie Mae, it was revealed that: “…data indicates that millennial renters today have as much desire to own a home as the general … [Read more...]
Harvard: Why Owning A Home Makes Sense Financially
We have reported many times that the American Dream of homeownership is alive and well. The personal reasons to own differ for each buyer, with many basic similarities. Eric Belsky, the Managing Director of the Joint Center of Housing Studies at Harvard University expanded on the top 5 financial benefits of homeownership in his paper -The Dream Lives On: the Future of Homeownership in America. Here are the five reasons, each followed by an excerpt from the study: 1.) Housing is … [Read more...]
