Homeownership’s Impact on Net Worth

Over the last six years, homeownership has lost some of its allure as a financial investment. As homeowners suffered through the housing bust, more and more began to question whether owning a home was truly a good way to build wealth. A study by the Federal Reserve formally answered this question.

Some of the findings revealed in their report:

• The average American family has a net worth of $77,300
• Of that net worth, 61.4% ($47,500) of it is in home equity
• A homeowner’s net worth is over thirty times greater than that of a renter
• The average homeowner has a net worth of $174,500 while the average net worth of a renter is $5,100

Bottom Line

The Fed study found that homeownership is still a great way for a family to build wealth in America. :-)

Vacation Home Property Sales Surge

The American desire to own a second home as a vacation home is alive and well!

The National Association of Realtors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data shows there are approximately 8 million vacation homes in the U.S. Their 2014 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey shows vacation home sales improved substantially in 2013.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said favorable conditions are driving second-home sales:
“Growth in the equity markets has greatly benefited high net-worth households, thereby providing the wherewithal and confidence to purchase recreational property,” he said. “However, vacation-home sales are still about one-third below the peak activity seen in 2006.”
Here are the key findings from the report:

Raw Numbers

• Vacation-Home sales rose 29.7 percent to 717,000 from 553,000 in 2012
• Sales accounted for 13% of all transactions last year, up from 11% in 2012
• The median price was $168,700, compared with $150,000 in 2012, reflecting a greater number of more expensive recreational property sales in 2013
• 42% of vacation homes purchased in 2013 were distressed homes (in foreclosure or short sale)

Buyer Profile

• The typical vacation-home buyer was 43 years old
• The median household income was $85,600
• Buyers plan to own their recreational property for a median of 6 years
• 33% said they were likely to purchase another vacation home within two years
• 82% of all second-home buyers said it was a good time to buy (compared with 67% of primary residence buyers)

Reasons for Purchasing

Lifestyle factors remain the primary motivation for vacation-home buyers:

• 87% want to use the property for vacations or as a family retreat
• 31% plan to use it as a primary residence in the future
• 28% wanted to diversify their investments or saw a good investment opportunity
• 23% plan to rent to others

Location

• 41% of vacation homes purchased last year were in the South
• 28% in the West
• 18% in the Northeast
• 14% in the Midwest

The vacation homebuyer purchased a property that was a median distance of 180 miles from their primary residence (down from 435 in 2012)

• 46% were within 100 miles
• 34% were more than 500 miles

Financing

• 38% of vacation-home buyers paid cash in 2013
• The median down payment was 30%, up from 27% in 2012

If you are thinking about buying a vacation rental, don't think for too much longer. Make it happen now! :-)

5 REASONS TO BUY A HOME NOW

 Based on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five major reasons purchasers should consider buying. 

 

1. Competition is about to Increase
Every spring a surge of prospective purchasers enter the housing market. Like you, they will want the best home available in the best location at the best price. They will be competing with you for the ‘steals’ in the market. Don’t miss the opportunity to get that ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ buy available today that no longer be available as the market heats up..

2. Price Increases Are on the Horizon
Nationally, home prices are projected to appreciate by 4.5% in 2014 and by over 19% from now until 2018. First home buyers will probably pay more both in price and interest rate if they wait until the spring. Even if you are a move-up buyer, it will wind-up costing you more in net dollars as the home you will buy will appreciate at approximately the same rate as the house you are in now.

3. Owning a Home Helps Create Family Wealth
Whether you rent or you own the home you are living in, you are paying a mortgage. Either you are paying your mortgage or your landlord’s. The Federal Reserve, in a recent study, revealed that the net worth of the average homeowner is 30 times greater than that of a renter.

4. Interest Rates Are Projected to Rise
The Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have all projected that the 30-year mortgage interest rate will be over 5% by the spring of 2015. That is an increase of almost 3/4 of a point over current rates.

5. Buy Low, Sell High
Most would all agree that, when investing, we want to buy at the lowest price possible and hope to sell at the highest price. Housing can create family wealth as long as we follow this simple principle. Today, real estate is selling ‘low’ compared to where it will be next year. It’s time to buy.

 

The Truth About NAR’s Home Sales Numbers

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their latest Existing Homes Sales Report last Friday. The year-over-year comparison of overall sales did not paint a pretty picture. NAR itself called the sales numbers “subdued”. Other media sources used stronger terminology.
There is no doubt that home sales were lower this February (4.60 million) than last February (4.95 million). However, a closer look at the report gives us some evidence as to why that is. Last year, of the 4.95M homes sold, 25% were distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales). This February, only 16% of sales were made up of distressed properties.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Well, if we do the math, we can see that the annualized number of non-distressed properties sold which was revealed in the latest report (3,864,000) was actually greater than the annualized number of non-distressed properties sold that was reported last year (3,712,500). As we sell-off the ‘shadow inventory’ of distressed properties, there will be less homes from which a potential buyer can choose. That will impact sales.
As proof of this point, we can look at the months’ supply of housing inventory available for purchase. In a normal market, a six month supply would be optimum. However, we haven’t reached a six month supply once in over 18 months. This shortage of inventory is the main reason sales are down.

THE GOOD NEWS

As prices continue to rise, more and more homeowners will be freed from the shackles of negative or limited equity. This combined with an improving economy will allow homeowners to again feel confident that they can sell their homes and move on with their future plans. We are already starting to see increases in listings coming onto the market (unsold inventory is 5.3 percent above a year ago). Once housing inventory reaches normal levels (a 6 months’ supply) we will again see home sales begin to increase.

Courtesy of: Park City Real Estate - JensenandCompany.com

Buying a Home Less Expensive than Renting – by 38%! 

Trulia released their Rent vs. Buy Report last week. The report explained that homeownership remains cheaper than renting in all of the 100 largest metro areas by an average of 38%!

The other interesting findings in the report include:

• Even though prices increased sharply in many markets over the past year, low mortgage rates have kept homeownership from becoming more expensive than renting.
• Some markets might tip in favor of renting this year as prices continue to rise faster than rents and if – as most economists expect – mortgage rates rise, due both to the strengthening economy and Fed tapering.
• Nationally, rates would have to rise to 10.6% for renting to be cheaper than buying – and rates haven’t been that high since 1989.

Buying a home now makes sense. You can lock in a mortgage payment before home prices and mortgage rates rise as experts expect they will. If you rent, your housing expense will only continue to increase.

 

Buy Now Not Later!

We have often suggested that potential home buyers consider rising interest rates when thinking about the true cost of a home. Remember, cost is not determined by price alone but by price and mortgage rate. The longer a buyer waits, the higher the mortgage payment will be if rates continue to increase (as is projected by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the National Association of Realtors and the Mortgage Bankers Association).

Money Magazine, in its latest issue, agreed with our analysis as they also warned their readership of the same ramification if they waited to buy a home.
Here is what they said:

"BE MINDFUL OF RATES. The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed loan is predicted to climb from the current 4.4% to 5.3% by the 2015 spring buying season, according to Freddie Mac. For a $250,000 loan, that means that a borrower who waits would pay $136 more per month and an additional $49,090 in interest over the life of the loan. Will you need a big loan? Better to act soon before rates tick up."

And the monthly increase Money mentioned did not take into consideration that prices are also projected to increase over the next year. Here is what the additional cost would be if prices rise by the 4.5% projected by the latest Home Price Expectation Survey and interest rates go to 5.3%.