Does it make sense to buy just because the prices are
escalating and I could get "priced out"? The total
cost -- mortgage + property tax + Mello-Roose bond +
estimated maintenance -- is already about twice what I
pay in rent for a 1 BR apt. I feel it's expensive and
there might be a correction coming, but if I'm wrong,
I could have lost the opportunity to own a house.
Any insights?
Anoop
Determine the situation in your area and decide. Frankly I sold my house
last year with mortgage rates at recent historic lows and apartment
rental/home ownership differentials in my area the greatest in 40 years and
rental rates continuing to drop.
Here, home prices have increased a bit but time on market has also increased
and high end sales are decreasing. In the event of a 3% increase in home
mortgage rates, say from 5 1/2 to 8 1/2, existing home prices would have to
drop 25% to keep monthly payments the same. Is this possible? Well, the
dollar has dropped 32% against the Euro in the last 6 months and the NASDAQ
has dropped 57% from it's 2000 high even after a strong 2003 recovery.
"Anoop Ghanwani" <an...@alumni.duke.edu> wrote in message
news:50bde0e6.04022...@posting.google.com...
The rents have been steady at least for the last 1 year
that I have been around here, and there seems to be more
supply than demand at this point.
Can you point me to any of the studies that you mention?
I would assume if house prices start to drop, rents will
go up because it will mean that more people are choosing
to rent, assuming people aren't moving out of the area.
Anoop
"Nashville Pete" <poremsk...@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<_9OdnRuctvE...@comcast.com>...
http://www.cepr.net/publications/Harvard_Housing_Bubble.htm
Thanks for the pointer. It makes for an interesting read.
Anoop
Note to Moderator: My posts are still not showing up on google
groups even though the responses do. I'm not using X-no-archive
or any such settings in my messages.
I can offer one advice if you plan to purchase. Don't buy brand new
house outside of metro area. Buy the worst and cheapest house in the
best established (i.e highest appreciation area) neighborhood and as
time goes by fix it up. When you purchase a brand new house in the
outskirts you will be competing with newer developments continuously
going up if you decide to sell.
Nona
As far as the bubble, I expected it to burst long ago but I was wrong like
everyone else. There seems no end in sight, as long as people keep paying
the crazy prices they do. And as bad as the CA economy is, somehow people
keep coming up with the resources to pay the better part of a million
dollars for an ordinary house. Beats me, but there it is.
Good Luck
T
<< <i>They are not making any more land.</i> >>
Actually, that depends on just where you live. For example, on the island of
Hawaii more land has been made. . . . and that's not the only place. ;-)