Blessings Realty | Colorado Springs and Monument Realtor
Changing minds about Realtors
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Owning a home has great financial benefits. Because of this, more and more experts are growing concerned about the ramifications of a falling homeownership rate. Today, let’s look at the financial reasons why owning a home of your own has been a part of the American Dream for as long as America has existed.
The outcomes of a falling homeownership rate can be devastating. As explained by ApartmentList.com:
“Our research indicates that not owning a home has a sizable financial cost, as renters miss out on low mortgage rates and are hit by higher rents.
This phenomenon may exacerbate inequality in our society, as those wealthy enough to invest in real estate benefit from lower interest rates, whereas minorities and younger Americans, hit by rising rents and student debt, risk being locked out of homeownership.”
1. A study published by the Joint Center of Housing Studies at Harvard University shows the financial benefits of homeownership. The study mentions five major financial benefits:
2. Studies have shown that homeowners have a net worth that is 45X greater than that of a renter.
3. Just last month, we explained that a family buying an average priced home this past January could build more than $46,000 in family wealth over the next five years.
4. Some argue that renting eliminates the cost of taxes and home repairs. Every potential renter must realize that all the expenses the landlord incurs are baked into the rent payment already – along with a profit margin!!
Owning a home has always been, and will always be better from a financial standpoint than renting.
There is no doubt that getting a mortgage is easier today than it was right after the housing crash a decade ago. However, the easing of credit availability has led to some questioning of whether or not we are headed for another housing crisis.
Let’s put everything into the proper perspective.
Getting a home mortgage has definitely gotten easier over the last three years as evidenced by the Mortgage Credit Availability Index, issued by the Mortgage Bankers Association, in the following graph (the higher the index, the easier it is to get a mortgage):
However, if we look further back at the index we see quite a different story.
The graph below shows the index going back to 2004, and the first graph we showed you above is represented by the small, orange, triangular section all the way in the lower-right corner.
As this visual easily illustrates, today’s index is nowhere near the levels it shot up to in 2006.
Mortgage credit is definitely easing. However, we are not coming close to the lax standards that caused the housing crisis of last decade.
