Cool map helps you decide whether to rent or buy

 Real Estate Market, Residential Mortgage  Comments Off on Cool map helps you decide whether to rent or buy
May 192018
 

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

For many, the decision whether to rent or buy can be a confusing one. I’ve found a multitude of surveys and tools that claim to help you with the decision, but with so much information, analyzing your own situation can be overwhelming.

I came across an interesting Web site the other day that analyzes the rent vs buy data in an easy-to-digest format – a US map using shading to indicate whether buying or renting makes more sense. The map presents the results on a county-by-county basis, and you can zoom in to see the specific results for your county.

The map also allows you to choose a breakeven point – the point at which buying and renting are equally advantageous. Set this to the number of years you think you would live in the same location, and the map resets the shading to show you areas where buying or renting is better.

Finally, it’s important to consider the assumptions used to produce the map. The producers used US Census data to determine average rents and home prices. For the “buy” scenario, the producers assumed a 20% down payment, a 4.5% mortgage rate, and $2000 in closing costs. The last two could be a bit low depending on your situation, and unfortunately, many folks don’t have 20% for a down payment. Give me a call if you want me to calculate the breakeven point for your specific situation.

Record number say good time to sell a home

 Real Estate Market, Residential Mortgage  Comments Off on Record number say good time to sell a home
May 182018
 

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

Fannie Mae’s housing index soared to a record high last month despite a negative reading from one of the index’s key components. The net share of respondents who said now is a good time to sell a home increased 6 points from last month to 45%. This good-time-to-sell sentiment has been on a steady rise for the last couple years, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have resulted in additional home inventory for sale, which remains very low.

Respondents also reported stronger personal financial conditions. They expressed an increased sense of job security, and more reported that their incomes had increased significantly in the last year.

The net share of respondents who think home prices will continue to rise jumped 7 points this month, and the average expected increase was 3.9%. While that might seem a negative for homebuyers, respondents said they expect rents to rise an average 5.7% over the same period.

The one black mark in the survey was the net share of respondents who think now is a good time to buy. That component fell 3 points last month. It’s likely the combination of higher prices, higher mortgage rates, and fewer homes for sale contributed to the fall. However, these same factors may increase buyers’ sense of urgency even if they don’t think it’s a good time to buy.