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Good Morning!

 

Rents have crept up in most communities just as home prices have.  In fact in many areas rents have increased at a higher rate than home prices.  I find today that many of the renters are paying more money to rent than they would be spending on a home payment.  By renting they are also losing out on some great opportunities such as depreciation and interest tax deductions.  Renters are also just making the landlords payments and not building equity.  Long term the buidling of equity in a home is one of the greatest wealth building opportunities for most people.  The followng is an article from "Realtor.com" on a recent study of the current trend towards renting.

 

A growing percentage of apartment renters aren’t interested in buying a home as affordability challenges take a bigger toll on American aspirations of homeownership.

 

In all, 20% of renters said they have no interest in owning a home, up from 17% in August and 13% in 2016, according to results of a semiannual survey of renters by mortgage company Freddie Mac in January.

 

Two-thirds of renters who plan to continue renting said they are doing so for financial reasons, up from 59% two years ago, according to the survey. 

 

“Housing is becoming less and less affordable. Renting is perceived to be the more affordable housing option,” said David Brickman, an executive vice president at Freddie Mac and head of its multifamily division.

 

The growing preference for renting comes even as the economy has strengthened and credit has loosened, in theory making homeownership possible for more people. Renters generally report being better off financially, with some 39% saying they have money to take them beyond the next payday, up from 34% in August, according to Freddie.

 

But home prices have risen strongly in recent years while rent increases have slowed, especially for luxury buildings in urban centers. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index rose 6.2% in January from the same month a year earlier, while the average apartment rent increased a more manageable 3.9% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to real-estate research firm Reis Inc.

 

The preference for renting is being driven in part by baby boomers, who are more likely to have experienced some of the pitfalls of homeownership. Some 35% of baby boomers said they have no interest in owning a home, up from 31% in August and 23% two years ago, according to the Freddie Mac survey.

 

At the same time, concerns about affordability are most prevalent among younger renters. Nearly three-quarters of millennials said they are renting for financial reasons, up from 59% two years ago.

 

The survey was taken in late January, so it likely doesn’t reflect the full impact of the tax bill that passed in late December and shifted the equation in favor of renting for many households.

 

Have An Awesome Week!

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Luxurious rural living! Serene tree views surround 1.79 acres. Every room has been updated! Tubular skylights, recessed LED lights, quartz and granite counters, solid oak floors, new tile floors and carpet, fresh interior paint and more. Master suite on main level. Large kitchen, formal dining, living plus family room, vaulted bonus room, laundry/mud room, 3 fireplaces. 4-car garage, RV parking, greenhouse, orchard...View property

 

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Say Goodbye to Renting and Hello to Homeownership

by Galand Haas

Good Monday Morning!

If you are renting a home or apartment and you would like to become a home owner, instead of supporting your landlord, you should start planning now on how to make this happen.  Yes, home values are up in the Eugene and Springfield area, but mortgage interest rates remain extremely affordable.  Many times, home payments will be far less than rents and also have some great tax advantages.  Here is an article from "Realty Times" that gives some ideas on how to get ready for your first home purchase.

Becoming a first-time homeowner takes a lot more than a desire to buy a house. It takes a lot of effort on your part to save up a down payment — which is usually a pretty good sized chunk of change — research neighborhoods, get pre-approved for a loan and other steps. Fortunately, it is quite possible to say goodbye to renting and hello to homeownership, especially when homeowners-to-be consider the following tips:

Focus on the Down Payment

In order to leave the land of rent, you are going to need a down payment — plain and simple. While it is common to put down 20 percent, some lenders now allow a much smaller amount, and first-time home buyer programs may go as low as 3 percent. While a smaller down payment may sound enticing, a 5 percent down payment on a $200K home is still $10,000 — not exactly a small sum. If saving money does not come naturally for you, don’t worry. With some relatively minor lifestyle changes you can speed up the down payment savings process. Come up with a savings plan to determine how much you need to set aside every week or month and then find ways to “find” that money in your budget. Using the $10,000 example from before, if you are determined to buy a home in two years, you’ll have to come up with about $415 a month to stash into your down payment account. Take a close look at your monthly bills and determine what you can pare down or eliminate — maybe you are paying $75 a month for a gym membership you rarely use, or you pay $40 extra for premium satellite channels that no one watches. These services can be cancelled and the money can go directly into your savings account. Eat out less, have Starbucks twice a week instead of every day and if you need to, consider a side hustle on the weekends to reach this magical monthly amount of $415.

Avoid Identity Theft

Unfortunately, the chances of becoming a victim of identity theft increase when you are buying and moving into a new home. The stacks of documents that are part of buying a home and that are filled with your personal information may accidentally fall into the wrong hands, and once you move, mail may not be routed correctly and thieves may steal your mail and your identity from your old mailbox. Prevent this situation from happening by purchasing an identity theft protection program; find a trusted company that will help safeguard your personal data. In addition to letting you know when a bank pulls your credit report and asking if you have authorized this inquiry, certain services will monitor your financial activity and alert you if anything is amiss.

Check Your Credit Report

When you start the pre-approval process for a loan and then move on to the Big Kahuna of applying for an actual mortgage, your credit report will be pulled numerous times. Your credit score will then be used to determine if you are approved for a loan, and what type of interest rate you will get. Please do not wait until you have the down payment saved and you are champing at the bit to go look at houses to check your FICO score — check your credit as early in the process as you can. If you have a credit card that has been issued through your bank, give them a call and see if they can run your report for you for free; in the cases of some credit cards, they also offer a free monthly FICO score check. Read through the report and check for any errors; this includes credit lines you never opened and delinquent payments that you know were made on time. Dispute any mistakes that you find and look for ways to boost your credit score, like paying down credit card bills and setting up automatic bill pay so you are never late with your payments.

Have An Awesome Week!

 

THIS WEEK'S HOT HOME LISTING! 

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36946 PARSONS CREEK RD
Price: $379,000 Beds: 3 Baths: 1 Half Baths: 1 Sq Ft: 1,890
Rustic Tuscan country-style charm! Terra Cotta tile, wood flr, rustic dr & window wood trim, steel beams, large windows. Remodeled kitchen w/ ship lap feature wall, galvanized metal backsplash, butchers block countertop & eating bar. Kitchen opens t...


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Consumer Confidence Remains Low Among Potential Home Buyers

by Galand Haas

Good Morning!

 Many would-be homeowners are still choosing to rent instead of buying a home.  Home buyer confidence remains low nationally, even though mortgage interest rates are at historic low levels.  Here is an article from Realtor.com that gives some ideas as to why consumer confidence remains low among potential home buyers.

National optimism? What national optimism? Fewer Americans think it’s a good time right now to buy a home, according to a report released on Monday.

Stagnant wages and climbing housing prices led to a 1.7-point drop last month in consumer optimism toward owning a home, according to Fannie Mae’s monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index. The index dipped from 83.2 points in December to 81.5 points in January. It ranges from -36.5 to 163.5 points.

“People need to see bigger wage increases to be able to afford a home and collect the down payment,” said Steve Deggendorf, director of strategic research at Fannie Mae.

Just 31% of the survey’s 1,000 participants said it was a good time to buy last month. And only 12% of respondents said their household income was significantly higher than it was a year ago—down 3% from December.

“Jobs are increasing, but wages really haven’t caught up,” said Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, a New York City–based think tank. He added that it’s become harder for aspiring homeowners to save up for a down payment than it was for previous generations. “It certainly puts homeownership out of reach for a lot of Americans.”

This could lead to a smaller share of Americans who own property, as fewer first-time home buyers have the resources to break into the market, warned Mark Willis, a senior policy fellow at the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University.

The bright side was that mortgage rates fell slightly for the fifth week in a row, according to Freddie Mac. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage dipped from 3.79% to 3.72%, and the 15-year fixed mortgage dropped from 3.07% to 3.01%. Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages dropped from 2.9% to 2.85%.

Lower mortgage rates can make buying more affordable, said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at realtor.com®. And more potential buyers may be motivated to buy, as rents are also steadily heading up.

“The alternative to buying a home [renting] isn’t more attractive—especially for the longer term,” Smoke said. “Rents already in most places [exceed] what it costs to buy a home with a mortgage.”

Have An Awesome Week!

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

1014 Yew St

Price: $238,400    Beds: 3    Baths: 2    Sq Ft: 1466

Super Good Sense & quality built! Energy efficient forced air heating & cooling. Hardi plank siding, plaster finished walls, finished garage with sink, and RV parking. Great Room layout, vaulted ceilings, recessed lights, maple cabinets, tile floors...
View Home for Sale >>


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Haas Real Estate Team
Keller Williams Realty Eugene and Springfield
2645 Suzanne Way Suite 2A
Eugene OR 97408
Direct: (541) 349-2620
Fax: 541-687-6411

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