Don’t Let Rising Rents Trap You!
An interesting take for people who are currently renting, it is worth finding out if it makes more sense to buy now than to continue to rent. Some may even find that a mortgage payment is less than monthly rent. Read on to learn more…
Rental Rates continue to rise. Can owning a home can be cheaper than renting?
Source: Simplifying The Market
There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top ones is being able to protect yourself from rising rents and lock in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage.
Dont Become Trapped
Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com recently reported on what he calls a Rental Affordability Crisis. He warns that,
Low rental vacancies and a lack of new rental construction are pushing up rents, and we expect that theyll outpace home price appreciation in the year ahead.
The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University recently released their 2015 Report on Rental Housing, in which they reported that 49% of rental households are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. These households struggle to save for a rainy day and pay other bills, such as food and healthcare.
Its Cheaper to Buy Than Rent
In Smokes article, he went on to say,
Housing is central to the health and well-being of our country and our local communities. In addition, this (rental affordability) crisis threatens the future value of owned housing, as the burdensome level of rents will trap more aspiring owners into a vicious financial cycle in which they cannot save and build a solid credit record to eventually buy a home.
While more than 85% of markets have burdensome rents today, its perplexing that in more than 75% of the counties across the country, it is actually cheaper to buy than rent a home. So why arent those unhappy renters choosing to buy?
Know Your Options
Perhaps, you have already saved enough to buy your first home. HousingWire reported that analysts at Nomura believe:
Its not that Millennials and other potential homebuyers arent qualified in terms of their credit scores or in how much they have saved for their down payment.
Its that they think theyre not qualified or they think that they dont have a big enough down payment. (emphasis added)
Many first-time homebuyers who believe that they need a large down payment may be holding themselves back from their dream home. As we reported last week, in many areas of the country, a first-time home buyer can save for a 3% down payment in less than two years. You may have already saved enough!
Bottom Line
Dont get caught in the trap so many renters are currently in. If you are ready and willing to buy a home, find out if you are able. Have a professional help you determine if you are eligible to get a mortgage.