Time to Buy a House Now!

1. Rising Rents. Renting is the alternative to buying (unless you’re living in your parents’ basement). But you’ll find that the rental market has tightened considerably, pushing rents higher. Fewer apartment buildings have been constructed in recent years, and as the economy recovers, even condo owners who were caught in the crunch are demanding higher rents. In San Francisco, rental rates rose by 14.8 percent in the last 12 months. And even smaller markets like South Bend, Indiana, saw rents rise by 4 percent.
2. Low Mortgage Rates. According to Bankrate.com, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 3.89 percent — and it’s lower in some areas of the country. This is a terrific deal placed in historic context. Back in 1981, when people feared inflation, mortgage rates neared 15 percent!
3. Down Payments. Many people are intimidated by the widely publicized 20-percent down-payment requirement. They don’t realize that there are many federal programs designed to help first-time homebuyers, and even those who have lost their homes to foreclosure. For example, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have loans available to first-time buyers with as little as 3-percent down payment, although they do require monthly PMI (mortgage insurance) payments. The FHA has similar programs that require 3.5 percent down and payment of mortgage insurance. (Credit scores for these programs must be at least 660.) And for veterans, the VA even has no-down-payment loans available for qualifying military members and veterans.
4. Rising Home Prices. If you buy now, five years into the “recovery,” you’re not getting the cheapest price on that home you want. But you’re certainly not overpaying either. Home prices rose by 8 percent in 2012, by 11 percent in 2013, and by 5 percent in 2014. But that’s off previous depressed levels. The latest Case-Schiller report shows home prices up by 5 percent year over year. Still, it’s not too late to get a good deal, as the economic recovery remains below-par.
5. The time to get into the market is when there is little competition pushing prices higher. That time is coming to an end. The most recent sales figures for existing homes rose by more than 6 percent in March, to a rate of over 5 million homes a year. And inventories of homes on the market are low, at a 4.6 month’s supply. But builders recently reported disappointing sales of new homes, which account for about 7 percent of the housing market. New-home sales slumped by 11 percent in March, from a seven-year high earlier this year. That’s where buyers who act now might get some good deals from builders.

Why wait? What’s the worst that could happen if you buy a home now? You’ve already seen it — believe me. The 2008 mortgage crisis wiped out $8 billion of home equity for Americans. It will take generations, if ever, before the banking system lets mortgages get that far out of hand again. Far more likely is the possibility that home prices will steadily climb as Americans get back to work and lead the global economy out of stagnation.

So don’t be blinded to the future by your past experiences. The American population will continue to grow and build families of all types, creating more demand for housing. Don’t view your home as a trading vehicle or a one-way-up investment. Instead, look at the home-ownership benefits that are mostly forgotten by today’s potential homebuyers — the chance to build equity (instead of throwing rent down the drain) and the opportunity to customize your own environment.

That’s what has always motivated Americans to own their own home. And it isn’t going to change in the long run. That’s the Savage Truth.

See the full article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-savage/time-to-buy-a-house-now_b_7191082.html