Is It Time To Buy?

Tips For Current Owners and Renters:

A Sign You Should Sell Your Current Home: You frequently crave a neighborhood upgrade. Has your neighborhood been “up and coming” for 20 years, and still waiting? Sell when area changed dramatically because the city rezoned, or because a school, freeway, commercial development, airport or train station was brought in. Sell when you fall out of love with the area because your job has moved, making the commute a pain.

A Sign You Should Stay Renting Your Current Home: When you can’t really afford a new house. First, do your financial home work. Run the budget, income and expense reports to know what level of increased financial obligation, if any, your household finances can afford. This will determine whether a move up is wise.

Sell Your Home When: Space-wise, you have out grown the home. Young children will need more space as they grow for studies, hobbies and sports. Many homeowners can realistically anticipate moving their parents in at some point.

Stay In Your Home When: You could fix and remodel for a good price compared to moving. If your home does not function well or the house is no longer stylish, you might be tempted to sell. You might resolve your issues by investing less than you would spend on the costs of selling and buying another home. The bathrooms and kitchen appliances are big reasons to consider upgrades over move. Finally, hire the handyman for small projects you have never gotten to like: drawers that stick, dead plants, drafts that need closed and repainting scuffs and scrapes. These are inexpensive to correct and can make life in your current home more pleasant.

Should I Stop Renting and Buy?

Everyone’s reason for buying a home is unique, but here are some common factors to consider:

• The current housing market
• Home prices
• Mortgage rates
• Residential inventory
• Value of long-term investment
• Benefits of renting vs. purchasing