Renters twice as cost burdened as homeowners

 Residential Mortgage  Comments Off on Renters twice as cost burdened as homeowners
May 082019
 

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

By G. Steven Bray

With all the ink spent on affordability in the last year, I found a recent study by Corelogic provided some novel insights. It found that housing costs in Austin for renters rose almost twice as fast as those for homeowners.

The study period was Dec 2005 to Dec 2018, so it roughly covers one full economic cycle. Corelogic compared its rental index, which analyzes the same rental properties over time, to a “typical mortgage payment,” which it calculates assuming a 30-year fixed mortgage with a 20% down payment.

In Austin, the rental index rose more than 60% over the study period while the typical mortgage payment rose about 35%. The difference between the two in Dallas and Houston wasn’t as large, but the rental index still rose faster. A part of this difference is attributable to the fact that mortgage rates in 2005 were a point and a half higher than they were last Dec.

And this reinforces another interesting point highlighted by Corelogic. Renters are almost twice as likely to be “cost burdened,” meaning 30% or more of their income goes towards housing expenses. Forty-six percent of renters were cost-burdened in 2017 as opposed to about 27% of homeowners. Moreover, the share is down 10 points for homeowners in the last 10 years whereas it’s held steady for renters. This highlights the fact that homeowners can leverage the market through refinancing to lower their housing costs whereas renters’ only recourse is to move to a less expensive (and probably lower quality) rental.

Here is a link to the study results.

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.